Texas father dies in Thanksgiving house fire, leaves behind wife and 7 children

A Texas father has died and left behind eight other family members after a fire broke out in their home on Thanksgiving Day.

George Freeman died in a fire at his family’s home in Copperas Cove early Thursday morning, Nov. 28, according to the Copperas Cove Fire Department. press release shared on Facebook.

According to the report, emergency services first received a call about the fire around 4:33 a.m. local time.

Arriving firefighters found “fire and smoke coming from the front and garage side” of the residence as they were told “one resident was still inside the home and was reported missing,” the report said.

“After entering the house, the firefighters who arrived started searching for the resident, and at the same time extinguishing the fire in the garage of the house was carried out,” the fire department wrote.

“The house was heavily smoky, which caused a complete loss of visibility. After a short search, firefighters eventually located the occupant and immediately removed him from the residence,” they continued.

Freeman, 61, was not breathing and had no pulse at the time of the rescue, according to the report.

Despite life-saving measures, Freeman died at the scene, authorities confirmed.

Freeman lived at the residence with his wife and their seven children, and they were all able to leave the residence safely. They are now receiving help from the American Red Cross.

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The Copperas Cove Fire Department confirmed the fire started in the garage in front of the home.

“(The fire) directly damaged the garage, dining room, kitchen and living room. The rest of the house was affected by smoke,” the report said.

According to the report, it took approximately 30 minutes to contain the fire.

The fire department is currently investigating.