Several Galleria-area residents lose everything in 3-alarm apartment fire

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The fire department was dispatched to the apartment complex on Richmond near Sage shortly after three Wednesday afternoon.

A second alarm was called less than 30 minutes later and by 4PM it was 3 alarms. It took 135 firefighters almost two and a half hours to bring the blaze under control.

Susie Loucks is a camera operator for Skyfox. For her the big story of the day hit too close to home.

“I never thought I’d come home to smell smoke in my apartment,” Loucks said. “It was filling my apartment I immediately called 911.”

Loucks says she was able to grab her purse and her cats.

“I’m kind of in shock right now because everything is gone,” Loucks said. “Everything I own is gone except what I have on my back and my phone and my purse and my cats thank God I grabbed them.”

“There are some 30 to 32 units behind me that have been affected by the fire,” said HFD spokesman Jay Evans. “Very good thing we have nobody hurt no firefighters no civilians.”

The fire was so heavy the roof on one of the two buildings affected was already sagging when firefighters arrived.
It’s not known how many people live in the 30 or so heavily damaged units.

Red Cross volunteers were at the complex helping those who have nothing left and nowhere to go.

“We just moved in on Sunday and I was off today and had to travel to do the last couple of loads from the Cypress area to here,” said James Cagle.

The second floor unit Cagle and Daniel Davis just moved into sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

“Just moved in,” Davis said “Now we have to start all over again.”

Some of the residents suspect the huge blaze was electrical. They say they base that on what they were smelling at the time of the blaze.

Arson investigators will determine the exact cause of the fire.