SOUTH HOUSTON, Texas – A fire Wednesday at an abandoned warehousein South Houston spread to two nearby businesses, officials said.
Firefighters were called around 11:30 p.m. to a warehouse on Spencer Highway near Avenue D. They found the building completely engulfed in flames and two other nearby businesses, including a car dealership, on fire.
“It’s something hard to describe. It’s hard to digest it,” said Eric Mejia, owner of Pasadena Auto Planet.
The fire didn’t start at his dealership, but Mejia is dealing with the aftermath. The fire practically destroying his office and an estimated 12 cars.
“Some of them are going to be a total loss and some of them are going to the junkyard. I don’t know. We may be able to repair one or two of them,” said Mejia.
Firefighters said water pressure in the area made it difficult to extinguish the flames.
No one was injured, officials said. About five to six vehicles at the dealership were damaged.
The fire blew a transformer and melted power lines, knocking out power to more than 1,800 CenterPoint customers, but the power has since been restored.
“I can’t go to work, and with no power, no cold water, we have to drink tap water. It’s not bad,” said Louis Coronado.
The Coronado family was outside its home for hours trying to keep cool and hoping crews could work fast to restore power.
“It’s kinda hot out here, a lot of mosquitoes. It’s not easy but we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna be alright,” said Hannah Coronado.
The fire marshal said he'll likely rule the cause of the fire undetermined. He said an arson dog didn't detect accelerants around the building.
