Firefighter hit by fire truck while battling blaze near Hobby airport

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A firefighter was injured while responding to a serious blaze that ripped through a 3-story apartment complex in southeast Houston.

According to Houston Fire Department assistant chief Michael Mire, the firefighter was hit by a fire truck that was rolling free.

"[The] parking brake either was not engaged or there may have been a system failure," said assistant chief Michael Mire. "That's something that we're going to have to look into."

The firefighter was transported to the hospital and is stable, according to Mire. Meanwhile, one person in the apartment complex was rescued from the third floor.

A firefighter crew issued a mayday call after they were separated while battling the fire.

"They were conducting a search for victims," said Mire. "They were able to regroup and find each other. We had a second mayday with similar circumstances but, again, the firefighters were able to regroup."

During the response, drivers and residents were asked to avoid the area due to the fire's severity.

"The size of the structure and the complexity of the layout is going to cause a large response," explained Mire. "Fires in structures like this can grow and get out of control quite quickly."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.