Mai's Restaurant Fire in Midtown Houston!

Mai's has the distinction of being Houstons first Vietnamese restaurant. In a matter of hours, 32 years of history was lost.




Fire tore through the midtown mainstay around 10 a.m. Monday. It took more than two hours to snuff out the blaze and smoke that climbed into the sky.

Assistant Fire Chief Karen Dupont with the Houston Fire Department was on the scene.

"The roof is about burned through most of the roof structure looks like it's collapsed onto the second story, Dupont told FOX 26 News.

Dozens of firefighters were called out while the incident shut down traffic. It also knocked out gas and power in a two-block area near Milam. Dozens of area residents and patrons of the restaurant gathered to watch the flames.

Mai's is more than just a restaurant to long time customers and friends of the family. Tony Ngyuen has been a regular for at least 20 years.

"When I was growing up they were open quite late I was a teenager then we usually stop by and grab a bite to eat before we go home, said Ngyuen.

The owners and employees were grief stricken at the demise of the family owned business.

The only talking they did was to arson investigators who were called in to get to the bottom of the fire.

"Chances are it's gonna be something that originated in the kitchen,
said Dupont. From what I understand, someone reported that they were working on the vent hood and that's actually where the fire started."

There's no clear indicator from the owners is the business will be rebuilt.

What's certain for now, several people have temporarily lost their jobs. While others, like Terren Mares, say they've lost a piece of history.

This is where everyone comes and hangs out after the go out to the bars and everything. This is a Montrose and midtown institution, said Mares.

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[HFD09B]

If it was an intact roof would there have been heavy smoke coming out like that. jackass

[usmcsandflea]

Nice!!! Ladder pipe operations on an intact roof. Uhhhhh Ok........