Attic fire on Richmond Avenue evacuates workers, injures firefighter

Workers were evacuated from a commercial office building in the 6000 block of Richmond Avenue after an attic fire broke out and sent Houston firefighters into west Houston on Saturday. One captain firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion during the response, while officials said no civilians were injured.

Houston Fire Department officials said investigators believe the fire may have started as an electrical problem in the attic. Deputy Fire Chief Bryan Sky-Eagle said crews did not hear fire alarms or see sprinklers activate, a detail that raises fresh questions about whether the building’s fire protection systems worked at all as flames moved through the structure.

Firefighters cleared the building while they worked to stop the fire from spreading. The scene left visible damage once the flames were under control, including broken windows and cleanup work outside the property. The case remains under investigation.

The response was a reminder of how quickly a routine workplace can turn into a disruption on the Richmond corridor, where offices, shops and other commercial properties sit close together. City of Houston incident logs show other commercial building fires on Richmond Avenue in recent years, including a fire at 6200 Richmond Ave. on Aug. 21, 2024, and another at 4202 Richmond Ave. on Sept. 21, 2024. Both of those incidents were listed as having no reported injuries.

The June 27 blaze also fit into a broader pattern of commercial fires across Houston. City incident pages include an office building fire in the Gulfgate Riverview and Pine Valley area on May 6, 2025, as well as a vacant warehouse and office building fire in the Second Ward area in May 2025. In another Westchase commercial fire, city records noted that the fire was controlled, CenterPoint Energy secured utilities and HFD arson investigators were requested.

For firefighters, the Richmond Avenue call came with summer’s added strain. Heavy gear and high temperatures can make even a relatively brief commercial response physically punishing, and the treatment of one captain for heat exhaustion showed that the heat was not just a backdrop to the fire but part of the emergency itself.

The building’s alarms and sprinkler system, the electrical origin theory and the damage left behind will all factor into the final cause report, which will matter for anyone who works along the Richmond corridor.