Houston three-alarm fire: Southwest Houston building at risk for collapse
Houston building at-risk for collapse after fire
A building in southwest Houston is at risk of collapsing after a three-alarm fire burned for hours and is still under watch by officials Thursday morning. FOX 26's Shelby Rose has an update to what officials are saying.
HOUSTON - Fire are still at the scene of three-alarm fire at an office building in southwest Houston that has burned for hours. They stayed overnight putting out flames.
What is the condition of the building?
After 13 hours, firefighters are still waiting to see how stable the building is.
Units used a hose to hit the side of the buildings to see if it could collapse.
Fire units are also keeping watch for potential hot spots, but they are unable to go inside the building due to the potential risk.
Fire near West Sam Houston Parkway
What we know:
The fire happened at a building at 6689 West Sam Houston Parkway South, near the Sam Houston Tollway and Bellaire Boulevard. The building was home to the Tran Law Group, Metro City Bank, and other businesses.
The Houston Fire Department has issued a three-alarm alert for the fire in order to bring in more manpower.
Houston building expected to collapse due to three-alarm fire
The fire was at a building in southwest Houston near the Sam Houston Tollway and Bellaire Boulevard. Crews are expected to work overnight to battle the flames, and an isolated power outage has been planned for the area.
Officials are asking people to avoid the area.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
Crews are expecting the building to collapse, so they're pulling back their efforts until that happens.
What they're saying:
"We started noticing the walls were buckling and the weight of the ceilings coming down. We had fire break through the roof," said HPD Deputy Chief Bryan Sky-Eagle.
"Water supply is a challenge in this area. That is one of the biggest challenge. We have water supply that is a quarter, an eight of a mile down the road that we're going to have to move."
Overnight efforts
What they're saying:
According to HPD Deputy Chief Bryan Sky-Eagle, crews are expected to continue putting out the fire overnight.
Officials are working with Centerpoint Energy to shut off power in the area for the night due to powerlines that are close to the building. The outage should be isolated to the area of the fire.
"We're gonna be here all night. If you're coming this way in the morning, take another route," says Dept. Chief Sky-Eagle. "Once the power cuts, it's gonna go dark. We're gonna have lighting set up. We're gonna work with [police] for traffic flow. If you could stay away from the area, we're asking you kindly."
Dept. Chief Sky-Eagle says the delay in putting out the fire is due to limited water supply. Fire crews are looking for more hydrants, and water is being boosted in the area to help against the flames.
"We've got some, but this is not enough water for all of this. That's what's causing the delay," he said.
Three-alarm fire near West Sam Houston Parkway: Update from deputy fire chief
HFD Deputy Chief Bryan Sky-Eagle gives an update on the three-alarm fire ripping through an office building on West Sam Houston Parkway South.
How the fire happened
What we know:
According to the HFD deputy chief, the fire started from an electrical panel near a stairwell in the building. It was reported at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Employees were inside atthe time, but evacuated safely.
Fire crews arrived and noticed heavy smoke coming from the building.
The deputy chief said there were people in the building, but they were evacuated before firefighters arrived.
Crews started with an aggressive attack to contain the fire, but it became too hot for firefighters to reach the source of the fire.
About 30–45 minutes into the attack, the fire escalated to a two-alarm.
After the two-alarm was issued, officials say windows were breaking, the walls were buckling, and the fire started coming through the roof.
A three-alarm was issued to bring in more manpower. Deputy Chief Sky-Eagle says 120 firefighters were called to the scene.
Until the building collapses, the fire crews are minimizing their efforts.
"We're anticipating the collapse at any moment. We're getting everybody cleared," said the deputy chief.
The Source: Houston Fire Department.