BATON ROUGE - A man is grieving the loss of his wife and her best friend after they were killed in a house fire along Bywood Avenue.

Brenda Jordan, 68, and Marcia Leah Khan, 74, had been best friends for more than 30 years. Both were teachers at Howell Park Elementary.

"They were close friends because they're teachers and they kind of bonded together," said Shahid Khan, Leah's husband.

He says he was out of town visiting family when the fire broke out. He said his wife would bring food to Jordan's home and, from time to time, spend a night at the home.

"If you're a human being and you act, you know, you come in front of her, she's ready to help you," Shahid said.

Two other people were inside the home during the fire, but made it out alive. Jordan's husband is still recovering in the hospital, and her son escaped without serious injury.

Shahid and his family are struggling to carry on.

"I have to be strong for my kids," he said. "I have two kids, so you know, I have to be strong for them, but we're going to make it."

The Baton Rouge Fire Department has not yet determined what caused the fire.