Man Dies After Being Found Burning Alive in House's Front Yard: Police

A man has died after he was found burning alive in the front yard of a Texas home, according to state police.

Police were alerted to reports of a fire in a West Houston neighborhood at about 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 10. When Houston Police Department (HPD) officers arrived at the location, they found a man who had burned alive in a front yard, according to ABC affiliate KTRK-TV.

In a Sunday, September 10, post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, an HPD spokesperson said: "Westside officers are at 10800 St Mary's at a suspicious death. homicide detectives are headed to the scene. 202." The "202" mentioned at the end of the X post is the radio number of the lieutenant who tweets.

The U.S. Fire Administration said there have been 78 home fire fatalities reported so far this year. There were 150 such deaths recorded in 2022. The National Fire Department Registry stated there were 1.6 fatalities per 1,000 fires in Texas, compared to the 2.3 deaths per 1,000 fires nationally.

The majority of fire deaths reported in Texas and around the country are in residential and nonresidential buildings, making up 53 percent in the Lone Star State and 78.9 percent nationally.

A photo shared by the HPD showed a police car parked in the middle of the neighborhood street with a type of barrier erected outside a home. A police cordon was also set up close to the barrier.

HPD Lt. Larry Crowson told NBC affiliate KPRC-TV that a person noticed the yard of a house was on fire as they drove their vehicle down the street.

Police officers are carrying out an investigation into the incident and the circumstances that led up to the man's death.

The deceased has not been identified, and investigators told local news station and NBC affiliate KPRC-TV that officers are not searching for any suspects and that there is no wider threat to the community.

Resident Cesar Rincon told the network: "I've been here 18 years, and we've never had any type of problems here. When I heard about it, I was like, 'You have to be kidding me.'"

Rincon added: "On the ride home, we saw the police cars, the coroner's office, so we decided to come take a look for ourselves."

Bystander Ian Goepfert also told KPRC-TV he had seen the man before on several occasions, adding: "Over the years, I've seen him walk through the neighborhood. He did travel to the grocery store, and I've seen him there."

Newsweek has contacted the HPD for comment via email.

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