HOUSTON --
Three firefighters were hospitalized after a mayday is called while battling house fire, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Houston firefighters responded to the blaze at a three-story home on Payne Street near Houston Avenue shortly before midnight Wednesday.
A neighbor said she spotted the flames and screamed to alert the residents.
"I said, 'Heather and Marcus, get out! Get out! Your electrical box is on fire!'" Ruth Gallegos said.
Heather Burns was inside the home alone and had trouble getting out the front door. Another neighbor climbed over a fence and broke a window to help her escape.
Crews were inside battling the blaze when a captain sent out a Mayday call because he thought he and two other firefighters were trapped. A second alarm was automatically called for extra help.
"The rapid intervention team went in looking for him," District Chief Tommy Dowdy said. "Before they could find him, they found part of his crew and he had gone out a window onto the roof."
The three firefighters were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital for treatment for heat exhaustion. No other injuries were reported.
Four of the couple's five cats were found safe, but one was missing. Friends said it is likely the cat, that is black with white paws, was scared and hiding inside.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
