June 21 -- Two suspicious fires broke out hours apart in south Houston Thursday morning, prompting an arson investigation and landing one firefighter in the hospital.
At one point, the flames grew so fierce a firefighter's helmet briefly caught fire, authorities said.
The first blaze began around 2 a.m. at Idaho and Ward, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and the South Loop. By the time crews arrived, smoke was billowing from the one-story wood frame home.
No one was inside, and firefighters quickly tackled the flames.
Still, the fire was deemed suspicious because about an hour later the Houston Fire Department responded to another blaze just four blocks away on Idaho and Dumble, the district chief said.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion and other unknown medical conditions.
Both single-story homes were vacant, according to the district chief.
The Houston Fire Department Arson Division is investigating the cause of the fires.
“Fires don’t normally happen this close apart,” the chief said outside one of the blazes. “It could be accidental, but this is a vacant house.”
Authorities did not immediately give any indication as to how the fires began.
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