Man in critical condition after fire in northeast Houston

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - As fire crews arrived on the scene, so did family trying to figure out what had happened.

"I don't even know who was there. I won't even lie to you," says a woman who was standing across the street from the home.

Houston Fire Department officials say they got a call at about 11 p.m. on Saturday that a house in the 6700 block of Leedale in northeast Houston had gone up in flames.

Crews had to reset the fire, which involves using large amounts of water and cutting holes in the roof to try and reduce it's size.

"Once they were able to reset the fire the crews were able to make their way inside this very dangerous structure and perform a primary search. No victim was found. They continued to do searches, and on the secondary search they discovered a victim in the rear. This was a very dangerous and chaotic scene," says senior captain and public information officer Ruy Lozano.

The man was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was last listed in critical condition.

Family also tells us that the man was confined to a wheelchair and that they are asking the community for prayers.

Saturday night Houston Arson Bureau crews started their investigation. Lozano says, "there is a person of interest in custody in regards to this incident."

Lozano says this was a very difficult fire for crews to work.

"It's still a very dangerous search and rescue process, but when you know there is a patient possibly trapped, we risk a lot to try to save that life," says Lozano.