Body found in rubble of Raleigh house fire

The fire started at about 3 p.m. after a gas explosion, Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Styons said.

"I thought it was possibly an accident at the intersection,” witness Tom Cooper said of hearing a loud boom.

Cooper, who lives nearby, said he ran over to the house to see if he could help.  That is when he heard a woman screaming.

"She couldn't speak English, so I wasn't sure whether there was a fire in the place or whether there was someone inside,” Cooper said.

"We had a report from a neighbor that there was possibly someone trapped inside,” Styons said.

The mother and two children who lived in the home were safely located.

"The father has not been accounted for,” Styons said.

Styons said investigators have not yet identified the person found dead under a brick wall.

Ramiro Ruiz said he knows the family who lived in the home.

"I am very, very sad. I could not believe it,” Ruiz said.

The cause of the gas explosion was under investigation late Tuesday.