Let's go back to breaking news we've
been telling you about at the top of the
broadcasting man accused of intentionally
setting fire to a home while his estranged
wife and stepdaughter and other family
members were inside earlier this week.
Now barricaded inside that home and you can
see now flames popping through the roof.
We've got another update from Janelle Gluta,
who's in the neighborhood. Janelle.
Yes. So fire crews have
now approached the house.
They've gotten a little bit
closer and as you mentioned,
you can now see flames coming
through the roof of this home.
They have not yet started spraying
water out here, but there are two
crews that are next to the home.
We've also seen officers trying to
penetrate the home on the exterior.
We're not exactly sure if that's, you know,
making entry or what they're doing.
It was a large armored vehicle
they were using for that.
But as you can see,
those flames now starting to come through
this home has been has had smoke.
Coming out of it for about
20 or 30 minutes or so.
It's gotten a lot heavier just
in the past five minutes.
As you can see,
there are now flames coming out of the home.
We're waiting to see what
fire crews will do next,
but we'll keep you guys updated
from out here in spring.
It really looks like, Janelle,
that this fire has intensified
just in the last few seconds
since we've been talking to you.
What's the scene like out there?
I know you said fire crews were approaching.
Was there anyone else there on the
ground who is ready to be an attack
mode when it comes to this fire?
The only cruise we have seen when it comes
to fire are the two trucks that drove by us.
Looking around now, I do not see any other
type of fire related. Oh no, I am wrong.
There is one off to the left over
here parked on the side of the road,
but that is so we see three fire trucks
here right now and as you guys can
see those flames are intensifying.
But it does not look like there is
any movement to approach that home.
It is hard to see the first fire
truck that went up there. Um,
it is currently blocked by other vehicles,
but I don't see any type of effort
right now to put these flames out. Now.
We have heard they are still continuing
just within the past two minutes or so.
They are still continuing to try
to talk to the suspect inside.
We believe he might be inside that
home they were telling him to come out,
that there are paramedics on scene.
If he needs any type of help,
they have crews here that can help him.
They just want him to come out safely.
With his hands up.
But as you can see,
this fire is only growing.
It has been there has been smoke coming
from this House for a long time now it's.
A lot more intense right now
coming from the roof of that home.
And um, yeah, just the fire
crews are currently sitting.
Right in front of us here, there's one truck,
there's another truck closer to the home.
I do not know obviously what
their plan of action is next,
what they plan to do.
There doesn't appear to be any
other approaching fire trucks.
But right now we just have those two.
And then the flames,
as you can see in the video.
Yeah, is getting just in the last
five minutes, you know this,
the flames coming from the roof are
really started to explode here.
We also know that the windows are
broken out of that home and you
mentioned that investigators have
been trying to talk to the man inside.
Have you had a chance to talk to any
neighbors about what's going on?
We have. We've spoken to neighbors.
Not a lot of them yet.
Know the suspect, you know they've,
they've heard of him, but they,
they too cannot get to their home.
So they're out here also watching
the scene unfold. We know that.
Officers were going door to door to
evacuate people from the nearby homes.
They've also blocked off this entire St.
here and the surrounding
streets that are nearby.
The home people are not allowed
to go back into their home.
So it's kind of left a lot of people with
nothing to do but watch the situation
just kind of unfold right in front of them.
And I did see some, oh,
there is a fire truck now.
The second fire truck is now
moving closer to the fire.
As you can see,
there is already a fire truck up.
Next to the home.
But we have not seen any hoses or
water going on to this home just yet.
Forgive me.
Yes.
A lot of people out here.
Yeah.
Forgive me, Janelle to interrupt you,
but it looks like now that the
fire is really overtaking the
roof line and the top elevation,
the highest elevation of this home.
Definitely concern for the
people in the surrounding area,
the immediate neighbors.
I know that you said they
were going door to door.
Law enforcement was to notify
people and inform them that I can.
Imagine our viewers and people
watching right along with us is you
were giving us this live report or
just as concerned about the people
in close proximity to this fire
that is growing and escalating.
So I understand. I want to interrupt here.
We're getting information that the home
that we see here on fire is near the home
where the SWAT scene is taking place,
not necessarily the home that they
believe that the suspect was in.
Now we'll have to kind of figure that out.
As we go along, but we do know,
as Janelle pointed out,
that when the woman who lives in the home
went back to the home with constables,
she thought her estranged
husband was out of town.
They walked into the home,
he was there and then he told police
that he had a weapon and were
retreated to the back of the house.
So that was more than an hour ago.
So this is where we stand now,
the home near the home,
we believe, where the man.
Barricaded inside is the one that's on fire.
How that could be, I do not know.
We're still waiting to figure out.
We also know squat is on scene,
and we can see right now eight.
It looks like firefighters are
approaching the home right now.
Walking toward it,
I see at least three firefighters.
From my vantage point, I'm not
exactly sure where you are positioned.
We also see a crane there with a
pumper most likely on the end that
they're probably getting ready to go.
Janelle, can you walk us through what
you're seeing with the firefight?
There, what looks like is about to transpire.
They look like, yes, the latter is
being raised into the air right now.
It looks like they still may be a
little bit of a distance from the home.
I can't tell. Maybe you guys have a better
view if they're right next to the home.
But yes, the ladder is going up.
That is what we can see from where we are.
And but no, no water yet
being put onto the home.
But as you were saying, Lynn,
correct, we still haven't confirmed
right now which home this is,
but we have seen a lot of efforts
being focused on this home.
Uh, as you guys saw with the uh with
the vehicle trying to make entry,
there's a third fire truck now coming and
about to pass by us and this camera here.
So they will probably be assisting.
They've just released the police
line to let this fire truck through.
So that is now 3 fire trucks that
are now working on this home.
As you can see. Look at inventory
like this and they think, Oh my goodness,
why aren't they moving fast or why isn't
something being done at this moment?
But there is a process,
a plan of attack when it comes to these
pumpers and putting water on a fire.
There's a certain time as well to
best extinguish the fire when it
comes to putting water on it as well
as is concerning as it does appear
for people there in the neighborhood
and people watching as well.
And just as we've been walking
you through what happened,
there's another fire truck
that has arrived there.
On the scene as well, and give us an idea,
walk us through the timeline, Janelle,
of just when we first started to see
the smoke to now this blazing fire.
So when we saw the smoke,
I would say it's been over 30 minutes now.
It was, it was small.
We weren't sure what we were seeing.
And as you guys can see, that roof is now,
oh, they are putting water on the fire.
Now, I don't know if our cameras
blocking this truck might be
blocking our camera right now,
but they should be moving here and just,
oh, we're raising up. OK.
So if you can see they are now
putting water on that fire.
So since we saw this, you know,
about 30 minutes ago.
We apologize.
Don't honk at me.
Amounts of smoke coming through that roof.
So we weren't sure exactly
what we were seeing at first.
And then as that smoke grew,
it clearly was an an internal
problem inside that house.
And then it was about 5 or 10 minutes
before the fire crews actually made
a move to get closer to the home,
and that reassured us that there was
obviously a fire issue inside that home.
However, they never made any action
on the home, they just repositioned
themselves to be closer to the home.
And then it was within the past, you know,
5 or 10 minutes that that smoke,
it got thicker in the beginning and then
it kind of dwindled away a little bit.
And then just in the past five or 10
minutes that smoke got very, very thick.
We start to see small flames.
And now as you're seeing these very,
very large flames, they are currently
working to put that fire out.
And at this point,
we have no word on the suspect.
We don't know which home
currently the suspect is in.
We do know that police were trying to
still negotiate even when these flames,
right before these flames were starting,
that smoke was getting really thick.
They were still negotiating
with that suspect,
trying to coax him out of
the home and telling him,
like I said earlier,
that there were paramedics on scene.
So that makes me believe maybe they
think he might be inside that home and
that if he came out they could treat.
And for whatever injuries he may or may
not have and that they were just the his,
they're telling him his family was
worried about him and they want
him to come out safely and with
his arms up just so this scene can
situation can resolve peacefully.
As you can see,
those crews though are still
working to get that fire out.
It is now building to be a pretty
big task for those crews however,
and obviously a concern for
those homes right next door.
Pass along some information from
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
He had tweeted about this situation,
the SWAT situation that we're watching,
that is escalated.
He wants residents to know
that the fire department,
the Harris County Fire Marshals
Office are also on scene there
as we see and that personnel
are conducting preventative
measures for the adjacent houses.
It's a dynamic situation.
It is very unique and we're
going to continue to follow it.
Yeah, very unsettling and
difficult situation here.
We'll continue to follow.
This keep an eye on it.
Our Janelle boluda is in the neighborhood,
will have live reports of course on a
digitally on khou.com and KH11 plus,
and we will have updates and
full reports coming up on
KHOU 11 news at 6:00 o'clock.
Again, a very,
very difficult and dangerous situation.