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Investigators rule deadly DeSoto house fire accidental

CBS News Live
CBS News Texas Live

DESOTO — The December house fire in DeSoto that gutted the home and claimed the lives of the elderly homeowners who had lived there for decades was accidental, the DeSoto Fire Marshal's investigation found.

DeSoto house fire, Canyon Ridge Drive
Victor Gaines
DeSoto house fire, Canyon Ridge Drive
Victor Gaine

When the DeSoto Fire Department was called to Canyon Ridge around 2:30 p.m. on December 17, they found the home no longer safe to enter, according to the news release, and conducted an operation to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighboring homes.

Neighbors said 89-year-old Joyce Buenger Martin and 96-year-old James Alan Martin were bedridden and likely unable to escape the fast-moving fire.

"It was a violent fire," neighbor Victor Gaines previously told CBS News. "Never seen anything like it! Never seen a house take off so fast."

The DeSoto Fire Marshal's investigation found that the fire was caused by an electrical shortage in the attic of the home which led to short circuits and exposed wires, ultimately igniting the fire.

"The fire spread quickly through the attic, emitting smoke that escaped via ceiling vents, wall vents, and soffit vents," a news release from the DeSoto Fire Department states. "Due to the increased fuel load in the attic, the fire escalated in intensity, leading to a flashover. The fire eventually vented through the roof, causing significant structural damage and the collapse of portions of the ceiling in the den and living rooms. At this point, the fire transitioned from ventilation-controlled to fuel-controlled, allowing the blaze to spread rapidly throughout the residence.

No other homes were damaged, but neighbors said the loss of life left the quiet street shaken.  

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