Family escapes as charcoal grill catches fire

A fire flared up in a west Houston apartment early Friday while a family tried to stay warm with a charcoal grill, officials said.

The Houston Fire Department was dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to an apartment near Ocee Street and Richmond Avenue where they found smoke coming from a second-floor apartment. The occupants escaped and no injuries were reported.

The family was burning a charcoal grill inside the apartment to keep warm when a wall caught fire, firefighters said. The residents were tested for carbon monoxide poisoning and treated by firefighters.

The fire department has responded to more than 250 calls regarding carbon monoxide poisoning this week, Chief Samuel Pena said Thursday. Authorities urged people to refrain from using grills, stoves or ovens to keep warm inside even as many people were facing frigid temperatures with no power or heat inside their homes.