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.

Masked robbers invade home in NW Harris County

The robbery happened in Canyon Lakes Village about 7 p.m. Wednesday.
A man was grilling on the back porch when he said four or five men came into his back yard wearing masks and carrying guns.
The man said the robbers forced him, his and wife and their two young boys upstairs and onto the floor.

The family said the robbers kept asking, "Where's the money?"
The man said he told the robbers the family didn't have a lot of money.
"When they had me on the floor, tied up, they put a shirt over my head, and every time I moved to see what was going on, they would come and put a gun to my head," the man said.

The family estimated the robbers stole $8,000 to $10,000 in money and other valuables.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office home safe task force is investigating. So far, no one has been arrested.

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NW Houston inmate accused of being drive-by gunman

By MIKE GLENN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 14, 2011, 8:45PM


A Texas prison inmate is accused of being the gunman in a fatal drive-by shooting in northwest Houston last summer, authorities said.

Johnathan Aguirre, 19, was charged Friday with murder in the slaying of Paul Gamino, according to Harris County court records.
Gamino and at least one other person were driving in the 3900 block of Sherwood

Lane on June 9 when a gold-colored Chevrolet Malibu pulled alongside and someone inside began shooting.

Gamino was struck by gunfire and died at the hospital, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators said the shooting appeared to be the culmination of a simmering feud.

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Breaking: Explosions rock Belvieu plant!

Multiple explosions, fire at Mont Belvieu plant

Credit: AIR 11
A fire at Enterprise Products in Mont Belvieu was burning out of control more than an hour after witnesses heard multiple explosions.

by Michelle Homer / khou.com
khou.com
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:05 PM
Updated today at 1:39 PM


MONT BELVIEU, Texas – Several explosions at a Mont Belvieu plant were followed by flames that could be seen from miles around.
The explosions happened at Enterprise Products at 135 Sun Oil Road around 12:25 p.m.


Witnesses reported seeing workers fleeing from the Chambers County plant. Other workers were being told to stay inside.
The company hasn't released any details about injuries. An employee, who didn't want to be identified, said at least one contractor has not been accounted for.


The employee said the explosion happened in a subsection of the plant.
Chambers County officials say there's no known threat to the public at this time.

They have not called for evacuations.
State Highway 146 is closed near the plant.

The fire was still burning out of control nearly an hour after it began. The flames could be seen 25 miles away in Houston.

A Houston caller named Pat said she was talking by phone to a relative inside the plant when the first set of explosions happened. There were three more explosions while they were still on the phone. "Anywhere from eight to 11 explosions," according to Pat.

READ MORE AT KHOU