Controversial Apartment Fire

Massive fire burns down a controversial Montrose apartment complex, engulfing the city in smoke and ash

The Houston Fire Department waged war on a massive, five-alarm fire at an under construction apartment complex on West Dallas between Montrose and Waugh. Portions of the building collapsed due to the fire and Montrose went into a virtual standstill with huge traffic jams Tuesday afternoon.

A CultureMap staffer driving in the area had ash falling on her car and says that the smell of smoke is "overpowering."

More than 70 fire department vehicles responded as the blaze keeps growing. It was officially upgraded to a five-alarm fire at 1:25 p.m. after starting out as a three-alarm fire in its first reporting at around 12:30 p.m. At around 3 p.m., the fire was declared under control. By then, a huge portion of the complex had burned to the ground.

"I saw the flames. I just started yelling, 'Out out, everybody get out,' as much as I could in Spanish and in English."

Construction workers were in the building when the fire started, but Houston Fire Department officials believe all the workers safely got out.

A worker on the site, who asked not to be identified, told CultureMap, "I was on the backside of the building outside and I saw smoke come up from the building and I ran into the opposite side to see what was going on. I saw the flames. I just started yelling, 'Out out, everybody get out,' as much as I could in Spanish and in English.

"I ran back to the other side of the building to see what was happening and make sure that my crews were out. Made it into the garage just in time to get all the cars out . . . I think pretty much all the cars made it out and as far as I know everybody made it out too."

Twitter exploded with multiple pictures of the blaze, which is billowing black smoke that can be seen throughout central Houston. KHOU reports that Montrose is closed between Allen Parkway and West Dallas. Several TV stations aired live coverage of the fire and the increasingly frantic efforts to control it.

The units appear to be part of 2400 West Dallas, a JLB development being built just feet away from a more than century old cemetery. The location has brought its share of controversy with vocal opponents voicing their displeasure over building something so close to grave site that opened in 1884.

There is no word on what started the fire yet. No injuries have been reported.

For more, click on CultureMap editor-at-large Shelby Hodge's exclusive video from the scene above this story. CultureMap also has an exclusive photo gallery of images from the scene. Come back to CultureMap for continued developments.

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Beyonce Super Bowl

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

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