Fire breaks out at high-rise in Texas Medical Center

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Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Fire breaks out at high-rise in Texas Medical Center
An Eyewitness News crew on the scene reported a large police and firefighter presence in what appeared to be a balcony near the roof the building.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A large sign on top of a high-rise building in the Texas Medical Center was on fire Monday night.

It happened at the Institute of Molecular Medicine located at 1825 Pressler Street between Fannin and Main around 9:40 p.m.

Plastic from the sign's letters on fire dripped to the lower mezzanine level.

While the fire didn't spread to inside of the building, it's air handling system did suck in smoke, requiring the Houston Fire Department to ventilate it.

According to HFD, the building was closed, but one person was inside at the time.

No one was injured.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but fire officials say they believe it is electrical due to the sign. It was not weather-related, HFD said.