3 bodies recovered from burned office building

Three bodies have been found in the search of an East Loop office building damaged by fire yesterday afternoon, and a few firefighters and civilians — one of them in critical condition — are still recovering from injuries and smoke inhalation connected with the blaze.

Details of the fire are still unclear, but we know that it began at about 5:15 p.m. on the fifth floor of the building at 9343 North Loop East. Smoke poured from the building and across the busy Loop, workers inside smashed windows with office furniture and some reportedly

The fire was well under control by 10 p.m., but it had destroyed much of the building's top two floors and, according to KPRC, had caused part of the building to collapse. The scene inside during the fire was horrific, as you would expect, but as the Chronicle notes, things could have been much worse if the fire had broken out an hour earlier, before many employees in the building had gone home. There are still questions about the building's safety systems: KHOU reports that the fire alarm didn't go off until a passing motorist stopped, ran into the building and pulled an alarm switch, and people who escaped from the fire said the sprinkler system never came on. We're sure we'll hear more about that as the investigation continues.

The Chronicle reported the names of two victims this morning: Marvin Wells, an assistant pastor at a local church, and Jeanette Hargrove, who worked in the building for the Texas Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services. Dowdy said searches for more victims will continue after structural engineers examine the building to make sure it's sound, but as of this morning, he said there are no reports of anyone missing.