Webster apartment fire: Firefighter escapes through window, Red Cross helps displaced families

HOUSTON - Firefighters from eight Houston-area departments battled an apartment fire in near-freezing temperatures early Saturday morning with one firefighter becoming briefly trapped.

The fire destroyed all eight units in a building at the Harbour Point Apartments, located at 16460 State Highway 3, according to sources. It was reported around 5:50 a.m., but Webster Battalion Chief Anthony Pearson said it was already well underway when the first crews arrived, before the 911 call.

Fire crews from Webster, Nassau Bay, Friendswood, League City, Seabrook, Dickinson, Houston, and Forest Bend worked together to contain the blaze to a single building, Pearson says.

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Around 7:45 a.m., the fire was brought under control, but the damage was extensive with all eight units destroyed, authorities said. No injuries were reported, and there were no accounts of missing or deceased pets.

During the firefight, a mayday call was issued when a firefighter became disoriented in a smoke-filled lower-floor apartment while conducting a search for residents. The firefighter managed to escape through a window without injuries.

Edith Williams, who turned 67 days earlier, was among the residents who lost their homes. Williams said she was awakened by one of her adult sons, who told her the flames made it near the water heater. Williams moved into her unit three months ago and said she escaped with only the clothes she had on.

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The American Red Cross was contacted to assist displaced residents and was expected to arrive on-site by 10 a.m., Pearson said.

The fire is believed to have started in a lower unit and quickly spread to the building’s attic. The Webster fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.