Two prison guards in Texas have been arrested in connection with the death of an inmate after they allegedly refused to let him out of his cell despite a visible fire burning inside.

Sgt. Crystal Janelle West and Lt. William Eugene Romero were taken into custody over the weekend and are facing felony charges over the fatal incident.

In a statement to Law&Crime, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed that two of the agency’s employees were arrested on Sunday “for their role in the failure to render aid to an inmate at the William P. Clements Unit,” which is located in Amarillo.

According to the TDCJ, at about 3:18 a.m. on Sunday morning, staff at the Clements Unit “entered the cell of an inmate who lit a fire in his cell and had become unresponsive.”

The inmate, whose identity was not revealed, was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

“The agency is working closely with [Office of the Inspector General] and the Special Prosecution Unit so that those staff who allegedly failed to act will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the agency said in a statement. “Sgt. Crystal West was charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and Lt. William Romero was charged with Criminal Negligence Homicide, a state jail felony. Both employees are no longer employed by the agency.”

TDCJ said it could not provide any additional information, emphasizing that the criminal investigation into the former employees remains ongoing.

While additional details have not been disclosed through official channels, local CBS affiliate KFDA reportedly spoke with an anonymous source at the agency who provided more context about the circumstances of the fatal fire.

According to the report, the inmate who died was being housed in the prison’s extended cell block, which is the facility’s highest security level. At some point early Sunday morning, the inmate was reportedly able to set fire to his mattress. The inmate was then ordered to place his hands through the cell’s food tray opening so he could be restrained, but he reportedly refused.

The guards then called for assistance from West, their supervisor. West reportedly saw what was happening and sought assistance from Romero.

The source told KFDA that Romero instructed West to leave the food slot closed, saying he did not want it opened.

“It’s just gonna stay shut,” Romero reportedly said, per the source. “We’re not opening it. It’s a safety risk.”

West reportedly returned to the cell about an hour later.

“She has the common sense to open the food tray slot, which is just billowing smoke out of an 8 x 10 cell,” the source reportedly said.

West then “walked away,” the source said. She also reportedly told the inmate “she would not pull him out of the cell, she wouldn’t open the door.”

“She refused to help in any way,” said the source.

Both defendants were being held in the Potter County Detention Center as of Tuesday afternoon, jail records show. West is being held in lieu of $200,000 bond while Romero was being held on $150,000 bond. It was not immediately clear when they were scheduled to appear in court.