Four shot dead in Houston house that was set ablaze

Firefighters found two adults and two children dead of apparent gunshot wounds after extinguishing a blaze at a home in Houston on Sunday.

There weren't any signs of forced entry at the house in the southwest of the city and the fire, which was reported shortly after 8 am, may have been an attempt to destroy evidence or disguise something at the scene, Police Chief Troy Finner said during a news conference.

The dead were adults in their 50s and children who were apparently in the 10 to 13 age range, Finner said. He didn't identify the dead, saying police hadn't yet notified their family.

He said investigators believe the shootings were an act of domestic violence, but he didn't say why they think that.

“It's real sad,” he said. “When it's innocent kids, it's even more upsetting.”