HOUSTON – Two people were killed Thursday when a house collapsed while it was being raised in northeast Harris County, in the 5400 block of Olana Drive near the intersection with the Eastex Freeway Service Road, deputies said.
The victims and two other men were helping a neighbor lift his house onto a new foundation after flooding from Hurricane Harvey left it in the mud three months ago. At about 11:20, neighbors heard a loud crashing sound.
"I heard this, like, boom and I see black smoke there. I just thought they were burning wood and stuff and then I saw cops and firefighters coming in,” neighbor Nathan Calix said.
The victims were underneath the house when it fell about 4 feet to the ground, killing them instantly.
“We had to lift the house off of them,” Assistant Chief Al Sterkx, with the Eastex Fire Department, said.
Two other men who were inside the house at the time weren’t hurt.
The victims' families, who live nearby, were informed immediately. They could be seen crying and comforting each other in the street as firefighters worked to recover the bodies.
“They were just trying to do a good deed from Hurricane Harvey and it’s pretty much a good deed gone bad. It's devastating that this can happen to families,” said Roxana Lee, the cousin of one of the victims.
Sky 2 aerials showed dozens of cinder blocks scattered around the exterior of the house.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating the accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to join the investigation.
Families grieve for 2 men killed in house collapse-NE Harris Co. pic.twitter.com/zKvipDDluL
— Phil Archer (@KPRC2Phil) December 14, 2017