A vacant building near Westheimer Road, plagued by four fires, disrupts nearby businesses and highlights ongoing safety concerns.
HOUSTON — A vacant building near Westheimer Road and South Voss caught fire again Saturday evening, marking the fourth fire at the property, according to a neighboring business owner.
The Houston Fire Department was called to the scene just before 5 p.m. Crews responded and worked to put out the flames. No injuries were reported.
The building sits next door to Stockyard Bar BQ, whose owner says the repeated fires and ongoing activity at the vacant property have become a serious problem.
“It’s actually really ruining my business,” said Louay Joubarani, owner of Stockyard BBQ. “It’s been a nightmare — the break-ins, the people that hang out there. They break our windows, they break our windshields, they cause fires.”
Joubarani says he has repeatedly sought the city’s help to address the situation.
“We’ve been working with the police and the fire department. I’ve been trying to reach the city, my councilman — I haven’t been able to,” he said.
Last month, the City of Houston told KHOU 11 that Houston police had issued citations to the owner of the vacant building. It’s unclear whether any additional action has been taken since then.
As of Saturday night, investigators had not released information on what may have caused the latest fire.
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