Fire guts building, hurts firefighter

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) - An apartment fire in the Williamson County town of Taylor destroyed a building and injured a firefighter late Monday night.

• Photos: Firefighter injured in apartment blaze

Nine people, who lived in the building at the corner of Sixth and Howard streets, all lost their homes.

At one point, fire crews pulled back out when a floor started to collapse. One firefighter got hurt with a back injury in the fight.

Taylor Fire Chief Pat Ekiss said the age and condition of the apartments made the fire tough to fight. The complex was built in the early 1900s and has been converted several times. 

Ekiss said the remodeling made it easy for fire to spread through the walls and up into the attic.

Several other agencies helped to fight the fire, including firefighters from Georgetown, Round Rock, Coupland and Hutto, as well as some of Taylor's off-duty firefighters.   

Williamson County Victims Assistance and the local chapter of the American Red Cross are helping the people who lived in the building with temporary housing and financial assistance.