Houston firefighters rescued about 20 residents from apartments that caught ablaze near Interstate 610 and Buffalo Speedway, west of Houston Stadium, on Tuesday morning, according to the fire department.<\/p>\n
A fire on South Bartell Drive drew crews to the scene shortly after 6 a.m., and firefighters found smoke and flames on the third floor of an apartment building, authorities said. The blaze spread down a hallway and into an attic, sending\u00a0residents onto their balconies for safety, according to the fire department.<\/p>\n
Firefighters reportedly rescued the roughly 20 residents from their balconies and apartments. One civilian was “transported for observation,” and one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The fire department’s arson office was questioning a resident at the scene, according to fire officials. HFD Senior\u00a0Captain\u00a0Raul D. Reyes declined to share additional details about that investigation.<\/p>\n
The incident eventually became a two-alarm fire and has since been extinguished, Reyes said. The blaze affected 16 units, and the American Red Cross was set to help residents with housing and recovery.<\/p>\n
This post may be updated.<\/p>\n
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