Pct. 4 deputy constable risks life to save family from fire

SPRING, Texas (FOX 26) - Emotional testimony was given on Monday by a one of the deputy constables that responded to the deadly fire in Spring, claiming the life of a mother and daughter.

A single story home on Pebworth Place was completely engulfed by flames when Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables arrived.

In a press conference on Monday, one of the deputies recapped what happened on the night but he was quickly overcome by emotions. As the tears started to stream down his face, Deputy David Santee, had to take a moment to collect his thoughts.

It was early Saturday morning when Deputy Santee and his partner responded to the scene. The heat was so intense they could only go through the back of the house. Through the smoke, they were able to see one of the children. Deputy Santee grabbed the boy, and handed him off to another deputy who began CPR. Thankfully, the boy's father and another sibling had made it out of the fire.

Deputy Santee returned to the home, although it was very difficult to breath. He heard moaning inside of the home, but had to leave because it was no longer safe.

“At that point, I don’t think anyone could get in. A firefighter happen to be coming around the corner at that point ,we tried to tell him there’s someone else in there moaning," says Deputy Santee. "He did everything he could to locate the person but he couldn’t locate her in the room. And after the fire was put out was when we found out that the mother and five-year-old didn’t make it.”

Neighbors and the Pct. 4 Constables Office are calling Deputy Santee a hero. But Santee doesn’t see it that way, since he couldn’t get to the mother and her daughter. He says that if he could pass a message on to the surviving family members, he would apologize for not being able to save their lives.

As for the cause of the fire, we are still waiting to hear from arson investigators.