HOUSTON – After a fire displaced hundreds at a Spring Branch apartment complex on Aug. 19, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request federal officials join local and state partners in assessing the damage.
These assessments will help determine whether Texas meets federal thresholds for various forms of disaster assistance.
“Texas is grateful for the swift action of brave firefighters who battled the Spring Branch neighborhood apartment complex fire,” Abbott said. “Today, I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request joint preliminary damage assessments with the U.S Small Business Administration. This joint effort will help determine whether Texas is eligible for federal disaster assistance needed for Texans in the Spring Branch neighborhood to recover and rebuild.”
What happened
The fire happened at a complex on Teague Road just south of Kempwood.
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.
There are 389 total units here, with about 100 suffering water or fire damage.
— Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) August 20, 2025
Arson will work to determine the cause and origin of the fire. https://t.co/4hKkasrtET pic.twitter.com/FFCQyKZboz
Fire officials say there are a total of 389 units and around 100 units received either fire or water damage.
Red Cross responded to assist those displaced.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
Texans affected by this apartment complex fire are encouraged to submit a self-reported damage survey using TDEM’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT), which is available online by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov.