Harris Co. deputy, wife die in house fire

By BOBBY HORN JR.
LIBERTY COUNTY— Members of law enforcement are mourning the loss of one of their own after a 16-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, along with his wife, died in a fire at their home near Hardin.
When firefighters entered the home of Henry and Kathy Legg in the Knights Forest Subdivision they found the pair just feet away from the back door. According to authorities a fire was reported at the Legg’s trailer in the Knights Forest Subdivision on May 22 around 4:40 a.m.
Crews from the Liberty, Hardin and Hull-Daisetta Fire Departments responded to the blaze.
Cpl. Hugh Bishop, with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, said that neighbors reported smoke at the house just after 4:40 a.m. When crews arrived, he said, they found the couple’s vehicles in the driveway making firefighters believe the couple was inside. However, it was not until 7 a.m., when the fire was contained, that firefighters could get into the home to search for the couple.
The first was found a few feet from the back door just after 7 a.m., the other was found about a half hour later under a pile of debris.
Kenny Dagle, an arson investigator, said that the fire does not appear to have been foul play. The initial investigation indicates that the faulty wiring was the cause of the blaze, although investigators are continuing to study the scene.
Capt. John Martin, with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, said that Legg has been with the department for 16 years and that he was currently assigned to the jail in downtown Houston.
Bishop added that Legg was well-known in the area and often assisted Liberty County deputies who respond to calls in the neighborhood.
In an ironic twist the deaths came a week after the observance of National Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day created by President John F. Kennedy to honor peace officers who had lost their lives.