Family of 7 escapes apartment fire in SW Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Five kids and their parents escaped a burning apartment overnight in southwest Houston.

It happened at the Rama Apartment complex on Woodfair.

A neighbor says he and his brother raced to the burning apartment with fire extinguishers, but the intense flames prevented them from getting closer.

They said the odor of smoke was the first sign of trouble for them.

"I started smelling it and [it was] the best I could've done," said neighbor Carlos Portillo. "I tried to get inside, but it was too hot so I came outside and waited for the firefighters."

Portillo also said the children living in the apartment were what concerned him the most, but fortunately, the family managed to get out.

Two rooms of the apartment were destroyed.

There was no word on what started the fire.

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff