Potentially hundreds of residents impacted after large fire rips through Spring Branch apartment complex

HOUSTON – Officials say potentially hundreds of residents have been affected after a large fire ripped through a Spring Branch apartment complex Tuesday evening.

The fire happened at a complex at 2703 Teague Road.

• Multiple units damaged in large apartment fire in SE Houston

Video shot from Beltway 8 by KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry showed the plume of smoke off in the distance from the fire.

Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz of the Houston Fire Department said firefighters first responded after receiving a call at 6:19 p.m. The fire quickly spread, causing it to become a three-alarm fire and more manpower was brought in.

In total, over 100 firefighters responded to the scene.

Muñoz said one firefighter received a shoulder injury during the fire and another was transported to the hospital for heat exhaustion. They are both said to be doing ok. No residents of the apartment complex were hurt.

Video from the scene shows multiple units of the apartment either damaged or destroyed.

Fire officials say around a hundred units received either fire or water damage.

Muñoz said the Red Cross is on the way to assist those displaced.

Residents of the complex gathered outside as firefighters battled the flames.

One family says they smelled smoke and at first thought someone may have been grilling, only to look out the window and see all the smoke.

“We got what we could to get out, by that time it was already engulfed in flames, everything is gone, we lost it all,” said Joshua Mckenzie.

Residents noted how quickly the fire spread throughout the complex once it got going. Some of them told KPRC 2 that it appeared vehicles were in the fire lanes, causing an issue for firefighters.

Muñoz acknowledged there was some traffic impact, but it has yet to be looked at whether or not it impeded firefighters from doing their jobs.

Right now, investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.