HOUSTON — A man is dead after being pulled from a suspicious house fire early Tuesday, according to the Houston Fire Department.
It happened around 3:15 a.m. in the 3700 block of Ward Street. Firefighters said they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the house when they arrived.
Crews were alerted to a homeowner who was trapped inside. The man was found and rescued, and was then taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, HFD officials said.
The homeowner's family told KHOU 11 that the victim was 63-year-old Anthony Robinson.
While it wasn't immediately clear what the cause was, firefighters said the fire is suspicious, and it started in the living room.
Houston police said a young man was renting a room at the home, and he was having issues with the homeowner. They said they were called to the home several times this week by both people, with the homeowner asking for help evicting his roommate.
Police also said the roommate was the one who called 911 about the fire.
The roommate was named a person of interest by police and is in custody.
According to Robinson's family, he was letting the man stay with him until he got back on his feet.