HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Fire Department is investigating a fire that demolished Mr. Soy Sauce Chinese Restaurant on Imperial Valley Drive in Greenspoint on Saturday afternoon.
The owner of the restaurant, who spoke with KPRC 2 News Reporter Paige Hubbard off-camera, said the fire started in the walls.
“All we could see was the building engulfed in flames,” said one witness.
The fire started around noon and went on for hours before fire crews were able to bring it under control. HFD officials say it took about two hours for firefighters to extinguish the flames under very difficult conditions.
“There was so much smoke, you couldn’t see 10 feet out here,” said Houston Fire Deputy Chief D. Harrison.
The thick plumes of smoke made it hard for crews to locate the fire’s source. Because of the blaze’s intensity, firefighters were pulled out at times, and additional crews were called in to bolster the response.
“We probably had 60 to 70 firefighters at one time. A lot of them we didn’t use, but we called them just to swap guys in and out of the smoke,” Chief Harrison said.
At one point, a firefighter and a crew were lost in the smoke but were later found and accounted for, officials said.
Now, the restaurant’s roof has caved in, the parking lot is covered in wet debris, and the building is barely standing.
“They were out here within an hour, as many of them that were out here, to me, it’s surprising to see they have such a big force to come out here, support their community, and take care of any danger,” a witness said.
Frequent patrons Kyle Henrikson and his roommate Ryland Lanson said they visit the restaurant at least once a week and hope to see it rebuilt.
“I just hope they rebuild because a lot of us who live in this area would probably say this is one of the best Chinese food restaurants you can come to,” Lanson said.
The Houston Fire Department said it will continue to investigate the cause of the fire. No injuries have been reported.
“Knowing that no one got hurt and everyone made it out safely, that’s wonderful news,” said Henrikson.