Two children killed after being trapped in house fire, authorities say

HOUSTON (KPRC) – Two children were killed in a horrific house fire in Texas early Sunday.

Neighbors in Galveston said they tried to save the children, but police told them to stop because it was too dangerous.

Cellphone video shows the flames bursting from an upstairs window.

Firefighters on the ground were seen battling the blaze.

James Rodgers’ house is connected to the burning home. He said the children inside were family members.

“They were my cousin and niece,” he said. “Logan and Jade.”

Fire officials say calls for the fire came in at about 2:30 a.m.

The children and their father were inside the home at the time. The dad was able to get out, but the children were stuck inside.

A neighbor who asked to be left anonymous said they scrambled to get the word out.

“One of my friends went and tried to crawl up there to get into the window,” they said. “The police told him to get down and he got down.”

Their worst fear was confirmed when they say the mom made it back home a short time later.

“She made it about 20 minutes later and I could just tell the way she was screaming, it wasn’t good news,” the neighbor said.

Veronica von Blon, a nearby neighbor, said the entire community is heartbroken, with the family in everyone’s thoughts and prayers.

“You see something like this and it’s just so sad,” von Blon said. “It really is sad.”

It is unclear right now what ignited the fire.