Christmas

Woman, Teen Daughter Injured in Fire

Mother has warning for other families after escaping fire

A woman and her teenage daughter were injured in a fire at their home in Princeton Monday morning, and investigators believe it all started when their Christmas tree ignited.

Officials said the fire quickly spread to the rest of the house at about 8:30 a.m.

“The living room was glowing really bright. There flames just everywhere,” said Kobi Scott. “I literally thought there was nothing we could do. We're done. We're going to die right here.”

Scott grabbed her 16-year-old daughter, Reagan, and they ran to the front door, but it wouldn't open.

“So we tried to break the window next to it, and within a matter of seconds you couldn't see anything,” said Kobi Scott. “It was just pitch black.”

A North Texas woman and her daughter were injured after the family’s Christmas tree caught fire and quickly spread to the rest of the house.

Everything happened so fast, leaving them little time to escape. Then Reagan passed out, forcing her mother to drag her out through the garage door. They both were burned and narrowly escaped.

Both mother and daughter were treated and released Monday afternoon from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. The family's dog was killed in the fire.

Relatives rushed over to help the family recover.

“Right after the holidays. Not like anytime is easy, but right after the holidays to suffer this kind of loss,” said cousin Jaime Massey.

Firefighters say they spent more than an hour putting out a fire that sent a woman and her teen daughter to a hospital with serious burns Monday.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour to extinguish the fire, saying that shotgun shells stored in the garage exploded several times. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the Christmas tree to ignite. The Princeton Police chief said this is the time to get trees out, because they are very flammable.

“The amount of fire and heat that it can put out will quickly devastate a home,” said Princeton Police Chief Tom Harvey.

Kobi Scott now warns other families to have a plan in place in case of a house fire.

“Go over it and over it and over it with you children,” she said. “Know exactly how you’re going to get out. Practice with them, because there is no time when you’re in the middle of it.”

NBC 5's Julie Fine contributed to this report.

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