Fire marshal's office: Man, teen girl killed in Saturday morning fire in Pineville
A man and a teen died in an early Saturday house fire in Pineville, according to the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's office.
The Pineville Fire Department found the bodies of the 54-man and a 16-year-old girl in what is believed to have been the stairwell of the home in the 500 block of Grant Street, according to a news release.
The stairwell and living room were under a second-floor bedroom that collapsed during the fire.
The fire was reported just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Four people were outside the house when firefighters arrived, and they told them that two people still were inside.
The identities of the victims were not released.
"While official identifications and causes of death are pending with the Rapides Parish Coroner’s Office, the victims are believed to be a 54-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl," reads the release.
Sentencing hearing:Jamaria Randle gets life in prison for January 2022 murder of Deven Slade Brooks
Homicide investigation:Man found dead Sunday night near Lee Street, Bank Drive
The six people at the home were a grandmother, her brother, the woman's two adult sons and her two grandchildren, the 16-year-old and a 5-month-old boy.
All but one of the occupants were asleep at the time of the fire. One man had gotten home after working a late shift and "reported seeing the front porch on fire several minutes after coming back inside from smoking a cigarette," it reads.
The man woke up his brother and tried to put the fire out with water. He then went upstairs to alert the rest of the family, who were sleeping in the same room.
"The man told deputies he helped his mother out of a second-story bathroom window before dropping the baby to his brother below who caught the infant safely," it reads.
He got out of the house, and then the group realized the other two still were inside.
Investigators have determined the fire started on the porch, ruling it an accident related to smoking near combustible materials, reads the release.
The family was using an oven to warm the house, but it is not believed to be the cause of the fire.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Saturday fire in Pineville that killed man, teen girl ruled accident
