HOUSTON --
A four-alarm fire destroyed a warehouse at a north Houston landmark furniture store Thursday night, KPRC Local 2 reported.
More than 100 Houston firefighters fought the flames at Gallery Furniture, located at 6006 North Freeway, at about 8:30 p.m.
The fire gutted an 80,000-square-foot warehouse behind the main showroom.
The owner, Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, stood outside his store and watched the legacy he built burn.
"I was at the front of the store running the store and one of the warehouse guys called me and said, 'We got a fire back here,'" McIngvale said.
The fierce flames tore through the warehouse, causing the roof to collapse.
The fire did not reach the store's main showroom.
"There's about a 10- to 20-foot area in between the buildings, which probably saved the front area," District Chief Tommy Dowdy said.
About 100 employees and customers were in the store and warehouse at the time, but everyone was able to get out without injury.
Employees' relatives rushed to the scene to check on loved ones.
"It's been horrible," said Nora Garcia Lopez. "All I heard is my husband leaving me a voice mail talking about come quick because they got on fire."
Friends and supporters sang and prayed in front of the showroom.
"This will be an everlasting memory in our minds when we think of this store," said McIngvale's daughter, Liz. "It's a store that was built upon dreams."
Several parrots that live in the store were also rescued.
"We're going to live through this and serve our great customers," McIngvale said. "We're going to live through this."
He estimated the damage to the building and inventory at about $5 million.
McIngvale has supported Houston in a variety of ways. In the days after Hurricane Ike, he opened his store to hurricane victims in need of air conditioning and ice.
Gallery Furniture is a partner of the United Service Organizations. The store has agreed to outfit USO centers worldwide with furniture and electronics.
"Gallery Furniture is more than just a furniture store," employee Darryl Luckett said. "It's basically a big family hovered around a great man, Mac."
McIngvale vowed to keep the business running. He said he would open a temporary warehouse.
The McIngvales opened Gallery Furniture in 1981. They recently opened a second location at 2411 Post Oak Blvd.
McIngvale said the fire may have started near some generators. Investigators will determine the exact cause of the fire.
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