METAIRIE – An 82-year-old man and his 56-year-old son were killed in an overnight apartment fire in Metairie, according to the Jefferson Parish Fire Department.
The fire broke out around 3 a.m. in a fourplex in the 700 block of Orion Avenue.
Investigators says the building is a total loss.
Firefighters got to the scene minutes after the fire started just before 3 a.m. and put it out within 30 minutes, according to the JPFD.
The downstairs apartment was engulfed in flames when they arrived. A neighbor said flames were shooting out the front door of the apartment.
The fire quickly went to two alarms.
Seven people were rescued from the apartments, including a family of four who were evacuated from one apartment.
Investigators also say that the two deceased, an 82-year-old man and his 56-year-old son, were found inside of the apartment where the fire is believed to have started.
Firefighters say that their pet dog was also killed in the blaze.
Neighbors have identified the dead men as Lyle House and his son Tim House.
Louisiana State Fire Marshal Bruce Browning says none of the smoke alarms in the building were were working and said this is a sad reminder to everyone that you must have them installed properly.
“If you go to bed at night and you’re not assured you have a working smoke alarm in your home — you shouldn’t go to bed— and that’s real,” Browning said. “Smoke alarms save lives, when a smoke alarm goes off you only have about 60 seconds to safely get up and get out of the building. Clearly, a toxic smoke real quickly filled this apartment and these people not waking up certainly was a contributing factor.”
Investigators do not believe that the fire is suspicious. They believe the father and son were sleeping when the fire started, but the cause is still under investigation.
The Red Cross is on the scene assisting those displaced by the fire.