HOUSTON --
A 78-year-old woman died after her southeast Houston home caught fire on Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Houston firefighters battled a blaze at a home on Berry Creek Drive near Fern Creek Lane at about 5:30 a.m.
Flames consumed the home, officials said. Minnie Parish and her wheelchair-bound adult son, Tony, were trapped inside.
Neighbors carried the son out, but firefighters said they had a tough time getting to Parish.
"She was trapped behind a wall of fire," District Chief Stephen Cichon said. "Firefighters had to go through a wall of fire to get to her.
Parish was found unconscious in a bedroom. She was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she died.
The injured man was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
Parish's friends from church said the family has gone through a lot of tough times recently. Her husband died a few months ago.
"She never cared about her own health," family friend Annette Battestine said. "She took care of everybody else."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Woman Killed In House Fire
