Fast-moving flames gutted a midtown Houston pizza restaurant early Wednesday morning.
The fire erupted about 4 a.m. at Late Nite Pie, 302 Tuam between Bagby and Baldwin, and took two hours to extinguish, Houston Fire Department officials said. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene after light smoke was seen coming from the building, said Capt. Ruy Lozano, an HFD spokesman. Lozano said firefighters who went onto the roof looking for the fire reported that the roof had softened.
Officials then ordered firefighters out and off of the building because of unsafe conditions. Large flames soon erupted.
Firefighters used three towers to spray water on the roof. Lozano said the fire appeared to have been burning in a crawl space between the roof and ceiling. He said investigators were trying to determine what sparked the blaze.
Workers who had heard about the fire on news reports came to the eatery to watch crews battle the flames.
The general manager, Raymon Pecher, said he had helped other workers close up the restaurant at about 3 a.m., the normal closing time. They didn't notice smoke or anything else out of the ordinary.
"I'm still in shock," said Pecher.
C.J. Camp, a bartender at the pizza parlor, said everything seemed fine when she left after finishing her shift about 11 p.m. Tuesday. She was saddened as she watched flames rip through the eatery.
"It's not a good feeling," Camp said.
The building was destroyed in the fire. The cause is under investigation, HFD officials said.
Mike Glenn contributed to this report.
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