Fire erupts at UT replacement facility in the Medical Center

(2/17/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- A fire broke out at the University of Texas Medical School this morning.

The Freeman Building sustained irreparable damage after Tropical Storm Allison. Its replacement was set to open this fall. That is, until this fire damaged the building.

The call came in just before 9am. Fire trucks arrived to find flames shooting out from the outer wall of the fifth floor of the building. Sporadic pops and small explosions were evident as crews mobilized.

"I'm thinking, man we're going to burn up," said construction worker Richard Cantu. "But praise the Lord. He blessed us all and let us come out safe."

No one was on the fifth floor, but a group of electricians was busy working two floors above when someone shouted to evacuate.

"How did you get out?" we asked.

"I got lucky," said electrician Eulogio Salinas. "Everything got black on the stairwell."

Fellow workers followed Salinas' screams down the dark stairwell.

"You know, I started calling people because they can't see so they were coming by my voice," said Salinas. "That's how I was guiding them going outside."

"We had two civilians that we've transported complaining of shortness of breath. It didn't appear to be anything life threatening," said Assistant Chief Jack Williams with the Houston Fire Department.

When it opened, the facility was supposed to be a major research center. And it had already secured tens of millions of dollars in research grants.

"We've got probably close to $50 million in research grants ready to get busy," said David Bates with the UT Health Science Center.

All that will now have to wait. Luckily, no research equipment had been installed yet. The fire consumed only empty and unfinished office space. Hospital officials can now just tally the damage and try to rebuild.

"Well, we'll do a damage estimate and make sure everyone's healthy and where they need to be and regroup," said Bates. "We've had a lot of experience regrouping."

Original costs for the new building topped $80 million. UT expects people will be able to return to their normal schedules on Tuesday after the President's Day holiday.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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