Death Toll Rises To Four In Texas, Latest Victim Died In Lightning-Sparked Fire

Four people are dead and 2.7 million Texas customers without power are bracing for dangerous heat after Hurricane Beryl made first U.S. landfall of the 2024 hurricane season.

The latest victim has been identified a Houston resident who died in a lightning-sparked fire.

“Lost someone to fire in southeast Houston due to lightning, we believe it’s storm-related,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said during a news conference Monday.

Whitmire also said a civilian employee of the Houston Police Department died when his vehicle became submerged in floodwater while driving to work Monday morning.

The mayor also said the man called the Houston Police Department for help but ultimately drowned.

Two other people also died after trees fell on top of homes across the Houston area as Beryl roared ashore in southeast Texas on Monday morning. That brings the number of deaths related to Beryl to 15.

The powerful storm killed at least eleven people as it whipped through the Caribbean islands last week and later hammered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Read the full story from AccuWeather.com