Greater Heights townhouse fire: Father critically burned helping rescue 2 children
Courtesy of OnScene TV Houston
HOUSTON - A fire at a Houston townhouse in the Greater Heights area left a father in critical condition at the hospital after he helped get his two children and their mother to safety.
Father rescued family from town home fire
What we know:
Houston Fire Department District Chief Terry Amaro said crews responded around 1:40 a.m. on Thursday to a fire at a town house complex on Beasley Hills Lane, south-east of East T.C. Jester Boulevard and West 20th Street.
The fire is believed to have originally started in the garage after a vehicle caught fire. Officials said the father moved the vehicle out of the garage, but the flames spread to the main town house.
Chief Amaro stated before they arrived, neighbors helped two kids who they saw jumping out of a third story window and also helped the mother, who officials believed suffered back injuries. The father suffered burn injuries while attempting to help get his family out of the residence.
Firefighters used the building next door to attack and extinguish the flames. A built-in firewall successfully kept the blaze contained to the main unit, preventing the damage from spreading throughout the rest of the complex, Chief Amaro said.
All four family members were transported to area hospitals. The father remains in critical condition, while the mother is being treated for back injuries sustained in the jump. No injuries to responding firefighters were reported.
What we don't know:
Arson investigators have not released what caused the vehicle fire.
The Source: Information for this report was provided by Houston Fire Department District Chief Terry Amaro.