Fire in NW Houston Condo

About 60 Houston firefighters were needed to douse the heavy flames that gutted part of a northwest Houston condominium building Monday night.
The blaze erupted about 9 p.m. at the Creekmont Forest condominiums in the 5600 block of Birchmont, near Antoine and Pinemont, Houston Fire Department officials said.


The layout of the complex caused some confusion for the firefighters. At one point, they had to back out and make another attempt to get at the fire after coming up against a wall that was in their path, HFD officials said.

There were no reports of any injuries, officials said.
At least two units and the attic were heavily damaged.


The fire was brought under control within about 45 minutes. HFD arson officers will conduct an investigation to determine the cause.

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Houston helping Japan disaster victims ..you can help too.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houstonians are sending donations to the relief effort in Japan.

The Doctor's Hospital in northwest Houston has packed boxes full of bottled water, food and medical supplies. Saturday, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee presented the supplies as a gift to the local consul general of Japan.


If you are interested in healing victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, here's are resources on ABCNews.com's site.

NORAD exercise tomorrow over Houston

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct exercise flights tomorrow morning as they practice intercept and identification procedures. Exercise flights will take place over Southeastern Texas. Although they are scheduled for mid-morning, the exercise flights could be delayed due to weather concerns.

Those living southeast of Houston, specifically near Ellington Airport, may hear and/or see NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to a military or military contracted aircraft, which will be taking on the role of a Track of Interest (TOI).

In order to test responses, systems and equipment, NORAD continuously conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled.

NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.

18

(CNN) -- Thirteen adults and five juveniles have been arrested as part of an investigation into the alleged rape of a Texas girl, police said.

Darrell Broussard, assistant police chief for the Cleveland, Texas, police department, said Monday that the investigation into the incident "is continuous," with more significant developments possible. Cleveland is about 50 miles northeast of Houston.

"There have been leads during our investigation that have alerted us to other possible persons of interest," Broussard told CNN. "The investigation is ongoing."
The 18 individuals charged thus far are between 14 and 27 years old, he said.

On Friday, the Cleveland police department announced that four students in the Cleveland independent school district had been arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14.

They appeared Monday in a Liberty County court, in the town of Liberty, to face the charges.
Police noted that some but not all suspects are students at Cleveland High School, though all those named thus far are from the town.

Mike Little, the district attorney in Liberty County, said police would likely decide whether more people would be charged. He offered few other details, saying, "We are very careful about pretrial publicity."

The incident allegedly happened late last year in Cleveland. The case has sharply divided the community, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.

"It just seems like a dream," said Sherry Fletcher, whose 20-year-old son Devo Shaun Green is among those charged according to Cleveland police. "I just hope everything comes out well, because some of these kids are innocent."

Those adults arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony in Texas, could face 25 year to life in prison if convicted, according to the police department.