A massive fire destroyed a warehouse and caused a west-Houston neighbourhood to be locked down on 5 May. A fire started in a home before it spread to A-1 Custom Packaging's warehouse, according to local news reports.

Explosions could be heard as the fire raged and it took two hours for firefighters to get the fire under control. There were no reported injuries, but neighbouring homes and vehicles suffered damage. Residents in the surrounding neighbourhood were told to shelter and to close doors, windows and exterior vents. Students in the nearby Spring Branch Elementary School were put on lock-down before they ultimately were evacuated.

A Houston Fire Department chief said the warehouse fire began with a house fire call on Laverne Street in Spring Branch. He said that a three-bay garage behind the home was also burning when fire trucks arrived.

By then, the fire had already crossed the fence line to the adjoining industrial warehouse, A-1 Custom Packing near Long Point Road. Minutes later, thick black smoke was spreading to the south and the Galleria area, and students were evacuated from Spring Branch Elementary.

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