Six residents jump from balcony to escape apartment fire
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Neighbors said it took a fire before anyone would pay attention to their concerns about a north Houston apartment complex.
Six people had to jump from a second story balcony to escape after their units erupted in flames at the Copper Tree Village Apartments on West Gulf Bank and Damascus, off I-45.
One man cut his arm when he crashed through a window to get away from the fire.
Residents told Eyewitness News the building has been without power for the last two days, and neighbors may have been using candles for light.
WATCH: How residents escaped from the fire
Audrey Richardson lives at the complex with her two kids, ages 4 and 6, her boyfriend, her sister and her mother.
"We were asleep," Richardson said. "My boyfriend woke us up to get out. We ran to the door, but that's where the fire was at, so we bust a window and got out by any means necessary."
Richardson said some of her neighbors have medical issues, and that without air conditioning, the sweltering heat has been dangerous for people who live here.
When the electricity went out on Saturday, Richardson said Centerpoint only told her they were working on it, but couldn't say when the power would return.
Now they have spoiled food in the fridge and have had no way to get a reprieve from the summer heat.
"These apartments don't care about no one. Nobody at all," Richardson said. "For this to happen just for the news to come out here, this is sad."
Several residents contacted Eyewitness News after the power outage over the weekend.
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