HOUSTON --
A two-alarm fire at a southwest Houston mid-rise apartment complex forced residents to evacuate in the middle of the night, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.
Fire alarms and knocks at the door were all the warning residents at the Atrium Regency Apartments needed to get up and get out.
"(My baby) was the first thing we grabbed," Korey Fudge said. "Actually, she was asleep in the bedroom with me. (My wife) came in and grabbed her so I tried to herd the other kids. We actually forgot their shoes, we were trying to get out of there so quick."
Fudge lives on the fifth floor of the building located at 5655 Glenmont near Chimney Rock.
He along with more than 100 residents could only watch as firefighters battled the rooftop blaze just after 1:30 a.m.
"I thought, 'calm down,' making sure everything is OK," Fudge said. "Then they started screaming, 'Get out there's actually a fire.'"
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found flames on the roof right next to propane tanks. They appeared to have been left behind from a roofing job.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but fire officials said the construction materials were likely involved.
"It could be they left something hot when they left the building earlier in the day," HFD assistant chief Jack Williams said. "It doesn't rule out that it wasn't an intentionally caused fire."
Fire crews were able to keep the flames contained to the roof, but said there will be some water damage to units below.
The apartment residents were able to reenter the building later in the morning.
