(San Marcos) — A structure fire in northern Guadalupe County has claimed the lives of an elderly San Marcos couple.
Patrick Pinder, the Guadalupe County emergency management coordinator and fire marshal, says the fire broke out in the 5000 block of Cedarside Street at around 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
He says upon arriving at the scene, it was reported that the residents Robert Fox, 78 and Janet Mahanay, 69, were unaccounted for.
While York Creek firefighters worked diligently to control the blaze, San Marcos Fire Department crews made entry through a window and located the couple in the living room.
He says Fox was found unconscious but breathing, while Mahanay was unconscious and not breathing.
San Marcos Hays County EMS personnel initiated immediate life-saving efforts on the scene.
Both individuals were rushed to Christus Santa Rosa ER in critical condition and later transferred to Dell Hospital in Austin’s regional burn center. Officials say both later succumbed to their injuries.
The Guadalupe County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Investigators have ruled out weather and electrical issues, and there is no evidence to suggest an incendiary nature to the fire.
Pinder says preliminary findings, do however, suggest the fire originated on the enclosed porch, but the exact cause still remains undetermined at this time.
Multiple fire and emergency units responded promptly to the scene, including York Creek Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), San Marcos Fire Department, Guadalupe County Fire Rescue, Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, Guadalupe County Fire Marshal’s Office, and San Marcos/Hays EMS.