Lightning sparks large apartment fire in The Woodlands
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (KTRK) -- Firefighters said lightning is to blame for a fire that damaged eight apartment units in The Woodlands overnight.
The Red Cross is helping about 10 people whose homes were destroyed. They have lost everything, and the intensity of the fire was evident by the damage left in its wake.
Crews were called to the Holly Creek Apartments just after 11:30 p.m
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames coming from the building's roof and attic area.
The firefighters battled the fire in the rain, while affected residents were holed up inside the apartment office.
At one point, the roof collapsed.
An eyewitness gave Eyewitness News video of the intense fire.
Residents said they saw the lightning and heard a loud boom. Next thing they knew, they were smelling smoke.
Everyone was fortunately able to escape with their lives, but the fire destroyed the belongings of many families here.
The eight units affected had heavy fire damage, according to crews. Another four units had some smoke and water damage.
"Sad...very sad," said resident Tomika Whitehead. "I just feel really bad for the ones that lost everything. I'm thankful just to have a little flooding. It's just a bad Memorial weekend."
The apartment managers said some residents were out of town for the Memorial Day weekend, and do not know there has been a fire.
At least three lightning strikes occurred in The Woodlands at the same time as the storms moved through North Montgomery County.
The Red Cross was called to the scene to help the displaced residents.
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