HOUSTON (KIAH) — The first fatalities of Hurricane Beryl happened early Monday morning in Harris County, when two different trees fell on houses that led to the deaths of two people and another died in a house fire.
In a post on X, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that sheriff’s deputies were called to a home on the 20900 block of Heather Grove Court, which is in the Kings River Village subdivision of Humble in north Harris County.
Gonzalez reported that a 53-year-old man was sitting in the house with his family as they were hunkering down during the storm. Then an oak tree fell on the roof and hit the rafters, causing it to fall on the man. He was declared dead at the scene. The man’s wife and children were unharmed.
Another incident happened in the northwest part of the county later in the morning, when a 74-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her house.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said that in the home on the 17400 block of Rustic Canyon Trail, the woman was with her grandchildren when the tree fell while she was in her room. She was declared dead at the scene.
Constable deputies are continuing the investigation at the scene.
Also, a person was killed in a house fire in southeast Houston around 5:30 a.m., the Houston Fire Department reported.
The fire was located at the 8011 block of Bendell Drive. A woman in her mid-50s was reported dead at the hospital. No other person was in the home and the fire is under investigation.