White Rock area house fire claims a life

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A woman died in a house fire early Sunday morning in the White Rock area of Dallas and another woman was left hospitalized.

The medical examiner has yet to release the victim's identity, but neighbors say an elderly woman and her daughter lived in the home.

"We're a pretty tight knit neighborhood and you just hate to see somebody pass," said neighbor Robert Curry.

"It's heart wrenching to know that somebody passed away, somebody that I was very close to for many many years," said Missy Ruvaldt.

Dallas Fire Rescue rushed to the scene on Newcombe Drive early Sunday morning. Neighbors dialed 911 when they woke up to popping sounds.

They were coming from the home where the elderly woman in her 90's lives with her daughter who's in her 60's.

 "Nobody knew them very well, they kind of kept to themselves, but it could've been anybody," said Curry. "We'd try to help them out, you know fix things, but they really didn't want it."
   
Officials say a neighbor helped one of the women to safety, but by the time he searched for the other one, flames had overtaken the home.

Missy Rudvalt is a longtime friend of the women. She says she was a classmate of the elder woman's grandson.

"We went to school together for 6 years, close little community of teenagers back in the 80's, times I spent over here hanging out and time spent enjoying sharing recipes," said Rudvalt.

Dallas Fire Rescue says the woman who survived likely suffered smoke inhalation.

Many people in the neighborhood are connecting through social media to help in the aftermath in whatever way possible.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.