Two firefighters injured in Northwest Houston blaze

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- At least two firefighters and a resident are being treated this morning after being injured in the fire that ripped through a complex on the city's northwest side.

It happened just after 4am at the Cancun apartment complex on Wirt and Amelia.

"I heard people screaming. They came knocking to my door," said resident Mario Lagunas.

Neighbors in and around the burning three-story building say they rushed out to safety moments after the alarms began sounding. The fire got real intense.

"I saw this man jumping out of the window. He broke the glass and he was hanging. He tried to jump out," said Lagunas.

As dozens of emergency workers raced to the scene, investigators say a complete wall of fire surrounded the place, forcing them to request additional help.

"At least four apartments fully involved, and they were extending, the flames were extending over to the second building," said HFD spokesman Jay Evans with the Houston Fire Department.

Firefighters say one side of the building began to collapse. A tenant trying to escape fell through a staircase and injured his back. A Village firefighter also suffered back injuries when he fell through a structurally unsound roof . Another Houston firefighter suffered a hand injury.

One family who lived in the now burned out building says the fire started after a boiler overheated causing flames to shoot out. They say they'd complained about the boiler to management last week.

"We had reported it to the office, and for them not to do anything, like it kind of sucks," said resident Jennifer Huente.

Now arson investigators are looking into the official cause of the fire. The Red Cross is helping those displaced residents.

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Man found dead in truck in NW Houston

THE CHRON: Police were investigating the death of a man who was found shot in a pickup truck parked along a road in northwest Houston Wednesday morning.

The body was discovered about 7:20 a.m. slumped behind the steering wheel of a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup in the 5300 block of Lost Forest near Pinemont and not far from Clifton Middle School, according to the Houston Police Department.

Details about the shooting were sketchy, said HPD Officer M.L. Stahlin. Stahlin said a resident spotted the man in the truck. The engine was idling. The resident tried to get the man's attention but couldn't and then discovered the man had been shot. The resident called 911.

No gun was found at the scene, Strahlin said.

Mike Vargas said he saw the truck parked at the curb and the engine idling when he came to pickup his friend to go to work. He said he looked inside and thought the man was passed out behind the wheel.

Vargas said he went to his friend's home and told him about the man. Then they both went outside to investigate. They knocked on the door and the hood but the man didn't respond. Then they opened the door.

"When we opened the door we saw a guy who had been shot in the head," said Roland Mendiola. "All the blood was coming out and blood was splattered on the seat."

Mendiola and other residents said they had never seen that truck in the neighborhood before. They said robberies sometimes happened in the area, but they had never heard someone shot to death in the neighborhood.

It was so close to their doorsteps, it was frightening.

"It makes me a little nervous," said Alyssa Bruemmer-Balboa.

Mendiola said the shooting saddened him.

"I hope they find out what happened to the guy," he said. "Nobody deserves to get shot like that in the head."

Dead pig found at Houston mosque

HOUSTON (AP) - Harris County authorities are seeking the public's help in determining who left a slain pig near a Houston-area mosque. Sheriff Adrian Garcia said Wednesday that investigators will consider whether to classify the incident as a hate crime. The carcass was found Tuesday night outside the Cypress-area Islamic Outreach Center, which opened in July. Bloodstains were near the door of the mosque. Imam Fahad Tasleem says mosque officials have introduced themselves to their neighbors to try to create a friendly environment. He says the pig incident shows how important it is to educate the public about Islam. Tasleem says he'd rather have people come to the mosque and get their questions answered. Pork is a forbidden food in Islam.

One dead in NW Houston wreck

Houston police say the driver missed a curve and hit a fence at the Willowbrook Mall at Tomball Parkway around 3:30 this morning. 

Three men were in the car. One passenger was declared dead at the scene. The second went to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The driver was not hurt.

Officers believe alcohol was involved.

"He is right now being detained and waiting to be charged with intoxicated manslaughter. He has been drinking, and we are awaiting the DA's office to confirm the charges can be filed on him," said Steve Sorge with HPD.

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Drunk dad with kid in vehicle fatally strucks another driver

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators say a man was drunk and driving with his son when he hit a vehicle and killed another driver.

Just before 8pm Sunday, Harris County Sheriff's deputies say Shannon Smith was traveling southbound in the 9800 block of Barker Cypress in the first lane of traffic and passed a slower-moving vehicle. Smith failed to drive in a single marked lane, striking the slower vehicle, investigators say.

Smith then lost control of his vehicle, causing the vehicle to enter into the oncoming lanes of traffic, and striking another vehicle which was traveling northbound in the 9800 block of Barker Cypress.

The male victim suffered life-threatening injuries and died at the scene.

Investigators say Smith, who had his 10-year-old son in the vehicle with him at the time of the crash, was found to be intoxicated. He was charged with intoxication manslaughter and DWI w/child passenger, both felonies.

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NW Houston chase ends in drug bust

HOUSTON -

A man was arrested early Wednesday morning, shortly after leading police on a chase.

Officers said they attempted to stop the driver because his car did not have a front license plate.  He sped off and officers gave chase. During the chase, officers said they saw the man throw beer and a small bag of marijuana out of the window.

He was arrested a short time later on West 31st Street near Alba in northwest Houston.  Officers said he admitted to running because he knew he had warrants out for his arrest.