HOUSTON – Several families were displaced Thursday after a three-alarm fire swept through an apartment complex in west Houston, authorities said.
The fire broke out around 8:40 p.m. at the Greenridge Apartments located at 3000 Greenridge.
At least 50-60 units were damaged. Heavy winds made it worse and complicated the process for firefighters to put it out, investigators said.
“The wind was essentially moving the fire, and so, we needed additional firefighters on scene to help us extinguish the incident,” said Martee Boose, firefighter and spokeswoman for the department.
Boose said it took nearly 100 firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control. There were no reports of injuries.
Buses came in and were used as warming centers for displaced residents. Red Cross was also notified.
“We’re in a hotel for right now,” said Jamal Shelby, who was staying with a friend at the apartments. “Honestly, I’m not too spiffy on exactly what their process is, but they put us in a hotel last night and told us they’ll be reaching back out to us to handle the insurance.”
Shelby said the second-floor apartment that his friend lives in has water damage.
“Water and smoke. A lot of water. Like everything is drenched. The entire apartment. The entire bedroom ceiling came in,” he said. “The bathroom ceiling over the tub came in. The ceiling in the living room looks like it’s getting ready to fall in. That’s why I’m trying to get everything I can.”
The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation.
Edwin Aguilar, a resident who lives in one of the unaffected units, said the building reopened two years ago after burning to the ground.
“It’s crazy because these just got repaired,” Aguilar said. “They all burned down a couple of years ago. This whole building here just got remodeled.”