Cause of East Austin house fire ruled accidental; 2 people dead

Deadly East Austin house fire under investigation

Arson investigators are trying to determine what caused a deadly fire in East Austin overnight. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Fire Department says two people have died in a house fire in East Austin.

On Wednesday, they were identified as Janis Gammill and Patrick Gammill, both 78 years old. 

What we know:

Just before 1:30 a.m. June 2, the Austin Fire Department responded to a fire at a single-family home in the 3000 block of Pecan Springs Road and found a home that was 75% involved in flames. 

The flames were reaching more than 30 feet in the air, says AFD. Within 20 minutes of the response, the call was upgraded to a second-alarm fire.

A man was able to free himself from the home and told firefighters two people were still inside. Firefighters entered the house through a window near their last known location and searched the house quickly.

Photo from Austin Fire Department of a deadly house fire in 3000 block of Pecan Springs Road.

A woman was found and pulled from the home, and, despite life-saving measures, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A subsequent search uncovered another man under a collapsed part of the home. He was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The man who was able to get out of the home was evaluated, but refused medical treatment or transport to the hospital.

Deadly house fire in East Austin

An overnight house fire in East Austin on Pecan Springs Road left two people dead. FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis has an update.

The latest:

Austin fire told FOX 7 Austin on June 3 that the cause of the fire has been ruled accidental by arson investigators.

AFD added that due to the conditions inside the home, determining the cause of the fire is unlikely.