1 child dead, 3 children hospitalized after Fort Worth house fire

FORT WORTH, Texas - A child died and several others were injured in a house fire in south Fort Worth early Thursday morning, according to officials.

What we know:

According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, firefighters responded around 3 a.m. to a one-story home near McCart Avenue and Seminary Drive, just south of the Texas Christian University campus. 

A family, including parents and school-age children, was inside the home when the fire broke out. Dispatchers received multiple 911 calls reporting they were trapped inside the burning structure. 

By the time firefighters arrived four minutes later, a Good Samaritan had already pulled two children from the house. They were both airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.

Firefighters pulled two additional children from the burning home. One was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the other sadly did not survive.

A fifth child and the children's parents made it out of the house on their own. They were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The Good Samaritan who helped to rescue the first two girls was also treated at the scene for cuts and burns.

What they're saying:

That Good Samaritan was Leon Segura. He said he was driving home at 3 a.m. after a night out with friends, and he saw a girl in the front yard of the burning home. She was on the phone, presumably with 911.

"She was telling me that her siblings were still inside. So whenever she told me that, I was trying to get in through the front, and it was so hot I couldn't get in. I kept on hearing screaming and crying. So that's when I ran to the back," he said.

Segura ran to the back of the home and kicked through the glass of a back door. He is thankful that he made it in when he did because the two little girls that he rescued were already on the floor.

"I grabbed one, and I took her outside in the back. Went back for the other one. Then the first one I carried all the way to the front and went back for the other one," he said. "As soon as I grabbed the last child, I put her over my shoulders and that's when the back of the house started booming and banging. The explosion started, or whatever it was started exploding." 

Fort Worth fire officials said the girls likely owe their lives Segura.

"He pulled two school-aged females from the house and brought them to the street. Firefighters immediately began life-saving measures on the children upon their arrival. Because of this man’s heroic actions and his willingness to run into danger without concern for his own safety, he gave two girls a chance at survival. He himself suffered multiple lacerations and burns. To say that his efforts were extraordinary would be an understatement," the Fort Worth Fire Department said on Facebook. "Our hearts hurt for these children and we are holding them in our prayers as they fight for their lives. We once again want to thank the good Samaritan for his heroic efforts in pulling some of the children from the home. As you process the heaviness and magnitude of this devastating incident, please take the time to make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home. "

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials have not confirmed if arson is suspected.

The names and ages of the victims have not yet been released.

Fort WorthNews