Firefighters collapse old Pasadena building to extinguish blaze

PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- Firefighters had to collapse an old building in Pasadena to bring a three-alarm blaze that erupted Friday afternoon under control.

By nighttime, debris was all that remained of the former church. No injuries were reported, but for seven hours, officials kept a major street closed and put many lives on hold.

It began as a small trail of smoke, but erupted into a three-alarm fire, all in a matter of minutes. It took what had once been the Sharron Lutheran Church building with it. In the 60's, it was a mega-church of its day in the then small city of Pasadena.

The city's fire chief, Laney Armstrong, remembers it well -- at its best and in recent years, at its worst.

"It's been vacant for quite a while; we've had some issues with vagrancy, and the building wasn't secured. It's been for sale for quite a while," Armstrong said.

The building was beyond saving. Next door, though, was a daycare with 30 children inside. The children were evacuated safely to a nearby YMCA.

"They were excited, they thought we were going on a field trip actually. They're like, 'Oh a fire!' and then when we took off, we're gong on a field trip," day care employee Victoria Garza said.

The Pasadena Fire Department is volunteer. Those volunteers had worked early Friday morning on another large fire. So when this fire erupted, the Houston Fire Department pitched in. With combined forces, the fire was brought under control.

Meanwhile, people stood across the street and watched what they'd seen for years crumble before them.

"I seen it but nobody ever paid attention to it. And then a 10, 20 minutes later, the whole thing, trees were catching on fire," neighbor Jordan Martinez said.

The fire wasn't completely out by early evening when a bulldozer pulled the gutted building to the ground. The building had been for sale, now on the land has value.

Officials had blocked off the Red Bluff, the street on which the church sat, until they had the fire under control.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but a day care worker tells us she that she had heard two people were seen running from the building just moments before the blaze.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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2-alarm blaze damages large home on Lake Conroe

  CONROE, TX (KTRK) -- Firefighters battled a 2-alarm house fire at a large home on Lake Conroe early Sunday.

The fire broke out at around 4am at a home on La Jolla Circle just off Walden Road.

When the Conroe Fire Department arrived, they said heavy flames were shooting through the roof.

Conroe firefighters quickly called for a second alarm as winds fanned the flames on the almost 6,000-sf home and threatened neighbors houses.

According to officials, fire hydrant pressure was low, causing additional problems.

Help soon arrived from Willis, North Montgomery County, Lake Conroe, New Waverly, Splendora, River Plantation and Montgomery Fire Departments.

The fire was brought under control after 5am.

The home, which was appraised last year at $675,000, sustained extensive damage.

The owners of the home were out of town, officials said. No one was injured.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Firefighters extinguish blaze at Galleria area townhomes

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Firefighters have extinguished a two-alarm apartment fire in the Galleria area.

Two townhomes at the Post Oak Park Townhomes on Post Oak Part and River Hollow Lane caught fire Thursday evening.

Firefighters took about an hour and half to extinguish the blaze.

"It's just labor intensive because you got things that have to be done on all three floors in the original fire unit and the adjacent fire unit at the same time to stop the forward damage," Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Jerry Wedgeworth said.

No one was hurt but some pets are missing. One home has major damage and two more have minor damage.

It wasn't immediately know how the fire started.

Last year, another fire erupted at the same complex, but it happened at a different unit.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Cy-Fair apartments damaged in 2-alarm blaze

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A two-alarm fire damaged an apartment complex in the Cypress area Sunday.

The Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department was called to the apartments in the 8700 block of Point Park at Point North West around 3:30pm Sunday.

When they arrived, flames were shooting from the second and third floors of the complex.

First responders made a fast attack, but the flames were spreading through a common attic in the building, officials said. A second alarm was pulled for additional manpower and resources.

Officials said about eight to 12 units were affected. Six units were damaged by fire, and all 12 apartments sustained extensive water damage.

One firefighter had breathing problems and had to be rescued. He was treated at the scene and released.

No other injuries were reported.

Cy-Fair VFD is working with apartment managers and Red Cross to relocate displaced residents.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Firefighters extinguish blaze in Montrose

Firefighters spent Monday night battling a blaze at a paint store in the Montrose area.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Firefighters spent part of Monday night battling flames shooting out of a business in the Montrose area.

The fire erupted at a paint store on West Gray near Montrose Boulevard shortly after 9pm. Authorities took extra precaution because they feared hazardous materials may be inside the building. Police also responded to the scene to secure a nearby jewelry store. The fire was finally extinguished shortly before 10pm. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Firefighters have blaze in Magnolia under control

  MAGNOLIA, TX (KTRK) -- Firefighters on late Tuesday were still putting out spot fires after a blaze erupted hours earlier and threatened an entire Montgomery County neighborhood.

At the height of the blaze, 28 pieces of equipment, including dozers and a helicopter, were used to battle the flames that erupted just after 1pm along FM 1774. Texas Forest Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Tomball Fire Department, Rosehill and Cy-Fair fire departments all helped battle the blaze because it was in a heavily wooded area and high winds were spreading it quickly. At one point, the fire threatened the Magnolia Ridge Subdivision near FM 1488 and one family was evacuated. Many homes in that neighborhood are new or still being built. The Forest Service quickly dispatched a helicopter capable of making water drops and four bulldozers to the scene. In addition Cy-fair Fire Department brought their bulldozer. Authorities believe the fire may have started either by a cigarette butt or from sparks off the wheels of a passing train. It was difficult to determine as the fire was on both sides of the track and did run up against FM 1774. At 9pm, fire crews were still mopping up and putting out spot fires. There were just a few trucks remaining compared to the height f the fire when 28 pieces of fire equipment were on the scene. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

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