HFD: Lantern launch caused Montrose fire

Two residents trying to launch a Chinese lantern caused a fire that damaged a luxury apartment complex in Montrose on Sunday night, investigators said Monday.

The rooftop fire — which was first blamed on a gas leak — caused hundreds of residents to evacuate the Susanne Luxury Apartments, an eight-story complex at Dunlavy and West Alabama, just across the street from an H-E-B grocery store.

The eighth floor of the building sustained some smoke damage, and one apartment unit had water damage, HFD Deputy Chief Herman Gonzalez said. No residents or firefighters were injured.

There was confusion Monday over what started the fire. At the scene, firefighters said it was caused by a loose gas pipe, and that firefighters were able to stop the fire by turning off a gas valve.

But later Sunday, two residents came forward and said they had started it by releasing a “flying sky lantern” from the building’s parking garage, Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for the Finger Companies, the building’s owner, said Monday.

A sky lantern is usually made of paper and works like a hot air balloon; it has a small fire at its base that keeps it aloft.

The men told authorities they were releasing the lantern to memorialize a loved one they had lost, Sullivan said. When they released the lantern, the wind caught it and caused it to land on the building’s roof.

The Houston Fire Department confirmed the fire, which was ruled accidental, caused by a lantern.

The two men called 911 to report the fire, Sullivan said.

“They’re not in trouble — it was a complete accident,” he said. “We’re just really happy nobody got hurt.” was