Firefighters from the Houston Rural Fire Department responded just before midnight Thursday to a house fire on Highway ZZ west of Houston.
Houston Rural chief Don Gaston said that three trucks went to the scene, but the home was already a total loss by the time they arrived.
Gaston said the cause of the inferno was unknown.
Firefighters managed to save an outbuilding, and kept the home’s propane tank cool to avoid an explosion.
The home, located near Highway 17, was owned by Rupert and Karen Smith. It had been being used as a rental, but the most recent tenants had moved out a few days before the fire.