A house fire in Torrington killed a 68-year-old woman and critically injured her husband.

Officials say the fire broke out around 9 p.m. Thursday on Stoneridge Drive. They say Donna Needham, 68, died and her husband, 65-year-old John Needham, was taken to the Bridgeport Hospital burn unit. The fire chief says he suffered substantial burns and is listed in critical condition.

"It's horrible, it really is," says friend Scott Price. "They are the nicest people around, they really were."

Fire officials believe the fire started somewhere on the first floor.

The fire chief says the blaze remains under investigation.