HOUSTON—A Midtown restaurant that bills itself as the first Vietnamese eatery in Houston went up in flames Monday morning.
Houston firefighters were called to the scene at Mai’s Restaurant, located in the 1400 block of Milam, around 11 a.m.
The blaze grew to two alarms as firefighters battled large flames shooting from the roof.
Firefighters said the flames spread quickly through the attic of the two-story building, and they were forced to go into defensive mode after the structure became unstable.
It took more than 100 firefighters to battle the blaze. They were forced to retreat when the roof gave way.
"It becomes very dangerous at that point, when you have crews inside," said a fire captain at the scene.
The owner, Phim Nguyen, collapsed at the scene, overcome by emotion. Her family opened Mai's in 1978.
As word of the fire spread nearly as quickly as the flames, regular customers gathered to watch it burn.
"It’s heart-aching," said Kenneth Logan. "It’s sad to see what’s happening right now. It hurts."
Steven Salazar took his girlfriend, Isis Berruet, to Mai's on their first date.
"That's the end of Mai's," he said.
Officials said the fire didn’t spread to any nearby businesses, but the proximity of the buildings and gusty winds made it more difficult to get under control.
The fire burned for more than an hour.
The restaurant was hosting a New Year celebration when the fire started.
The owners said they heard popping sounds coming from the back, and then they saw flames.
Employees and customers made it out safely.
Fire investigators determined the fire started on the restaurant's stove.
