HOUSTON – One person was taken to the hospital with burns to his hand after a fire at a southeast Houston apartment complex that forced 20 others to evacuate.
The fire started just after 1 p.m. at the Beall Village Apartments near the intersection of MacGregor Way and Calhoun Road.
The Houston Fire Department said the fire started in a second-floor apartment.
“That apartment was fully involved by the time they got that guy out and got him downstairs,” said HFD District Chief Kelly Baudat. “It was a mattress fire. It put out a lot of smoke.”
Residents living on both the second and third floors were forced to evacuate.
“We are relieved, cause a lot of elderly people, some people in a wheelchair, some people are in a walker, so we’re glad that no one was hurt,” said resident Valerie Bailey.
It’s unclear whether those who evacuated will be allowed to return. The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist those in need.
The man who was injured is expected to recover.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.