A 3-alarm fire gutted portions of a building at an apartment complex in north Harris County Wednesday morning.
The fire ripped through several units at the Monticello on Cranbrook apartment homes at 13913 Ella Boulevard near Clear Valley about 6:20 a.m., according to the Little York Volunteer Fire Department.
Officials said two residents and a Spring Volunteer Fire Firefighter were taken to a nearby hospital. The residents had smoke-related issues and the firefighter was hurt when a hose snapped and hit him. The injuries were non-life threatening.
No other injuries were reported.
It appeared the blaze started in the apartment of a woman who uses oxygen, said Chad Shaw, Lt. Investigator with the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. Shaw said the oxygen line landed on a burner of the stove after she woke up to make coffee. The line melted, he added, and ignited the fire.
The blaze gutted about 10 to 12 apartments, especially on the second floor. The roof on the upper units collapsed.
Some apartment residents knocked on their neighbors' doors to warn them to get out of their units because of the fire. Houston police also knocked on doors and alerted residents.
Residents near the gutted apartments said they woke up to enormous orange flames. Many residents stood outside their apartments watching the fire crews.
DaShawn Thomas, 18, said the flames were huge. He lives near the burned building and was told to get out of his unit. When he walked outside, he said he was stunned by the blaze. Glowing embers fell through the air.
"It was terrifying." he said. "I was really scared."
Copyright 2012 - Houston Chronicle
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
