Chris Wilson, Public Information Officer
Katy Fire Department
The Katy Fire Department responded to the report of heavy smoke coming from the strip shopping center at the corner of 5th Street and Katyland Drive at 1:56 a.m. on Saturday, June 7.
A patrol unit from the Katy Police Department noticed smoke coming from the strip center and called for the Fire Department. The building is in an L-shape with 7 businesses (two of the businesses occupied two spaces in the center). First arriving fire department unit, Command 1 Fire Chief Richard Lenius, reported heavy smoke coming from the roof of the strip center, but could not determine which business the fire was located in. Chief Lenius was also advised by one of the police officers that a man lived in the rear of the Laundromat, but due to the quick actions of other police officers, he was able to exit safely.
There was heavy smoke in at least 4-5 of the businesses. He immediately called for 1 Engine and 1 Ladder from the West I-10 FD and 1 Engine (55' Telesquirt) from the Westlake FD. E8 from the Cy-Fair FD responded and backed into Katy FD Station 1. Chief Lenius immediately established the department accountability system. Upon Command 2's arrival, Asst. Chief Warner Preston, he was assigned as interior sector. Unit 811, Deputy Chief-PIO Chris Wilson, arrived and was assigned as command support and accountability officer. West I-10 District 1, District Chief Phil Harbin, arrived and assisted command with control of the mutual-aid companies.
Katy E1 was ordered to catch the hydrant on the corner of 5th and Katyland and lay a 5" supply line to the scene. E1 spotted their apparatus in front of the video store. E1's crew then forced entry into the nail salon, was met with a heavy heat and smoke condition and advanced an 1" line into the business.
The crew discovered the fire in a rear office of the nail salon. Katy E4 staged their apparatus on the exposure 2 side and their crew was ordered to ladder the roof and prepare to make trench cuts on either side of the nail salon.
West I-10 E4 arrived, staged their engine on Katyland Drive and brought their crew forward to continue forcing entry into additional businesses. West I-10 Truck 3 arrived, staged just to the right of Katy E1 and laddered the roof with their aerial.
Roof crews opened one ventilation hole and a vent cover was also removed. Katy E3 and B1 staged on 5th Street and their crews worked on securing the utilities. Westlake E43 staged on Katyland Drive and brought their crew forward to assist with checking for extension.
Katy R1 staged at the corner of exposures 1 & 2 and set up their light towers and set up to refill air bottles. West I-10 R1 was called for additional manpower and cascade and Rehab 2 responded and set up a rehab sector in the northeast corner of the parking lot.
Katy Medic 1 was also on location standing by for any assistance needed. As the additional crews arrived, PPV fans were set up in the doors of four of the businesses and salvage covers were thrown to minimize the loss to personal contents. Due to the quick and aggressive actions of the first arriving Katy FD units and that the strip center was constructed with firewalls, fire damage was confined to the nail salon. There was extensive heat and smoke damage to the stores on either side of the business of origin and minor smoke damage to the other businesses in this section of the strip center.
The Katy Fire Marshal Jim Cook arrived and determined that the cause was electrical. A 2-plug wall socket had a six-plug adapter plugged in and had two 6-plug strips coming off of the adapter. The wiring overheated, the insulation failed and started a chair on fire and then the rest of the contents caught fire.
There were no firefighter or civilian injuries. Command started releasing mutual-aid companies around 5 a.m. and all Katy FD companies were in service and clear of the scene by 6 a.m.
