Victims of Sabine, Natchitoches house fires identified

Three men who died in two separate house fires in recent days have been identified. Sabine Parish Coroner Mark Holder said David Sebastien, 70, of Opelousas, and David Briley, 66, of Ville Platte, died in a fire early Sunday morning. And Natchitoches Parish Coroner Steven Clanton identified the victim of a Friday morning fire as Roosevelt Davenport Jr., 72. The fire in Sabine Parish happened around 2 a.m. on Brunson Drive in the Lanana Bay area of Toledo Bend Reservoir. Four men were inside the house. Two got out. The men were at the lake for a family outing. In Natchitoches, firefighters responded to a report of a house fire in the 400 block of Gibson Street just before 7:45 a.m. Firefighters learned a passerby noticed smoke coming from the home, called 911 and attempted to alert anyone inside by banging on the door. Davenport’s body was found in a hallway. The fire began in the home’s kitchen. The cause is believed to be unattended cooking related to a hot plate on a countertop that was in use at the time the fire started. The house did not have a working smoke alarm.