Update: The official HFD release says "Houston Fire Department arson investigators have ruled the cause of a fire at Mai's Restaurant on Milam due to a cooking fire (wok)."
Photos by Craig Hlavaty
​Firefighters continue to battle the blaze at Mai's, and reports are grim. (In terms of property, at any rate; thankfully, no injuries have been reported.)
HFD has been dousing the second floor from above, through the collapsed roof, and that can't be good for the first-floor restaurant. Water can be seen gushing out the front door of the popular eatery, known for its pho and crowds who head there after the bars close.
Power has been cut in the area because the cherrypickers are near electricity lines. The nearby Breakfast Klub tells Hair Balls, though, that they have power and are serving lunch. Although it's only a Presidents' Day rush hour, getting onto 59 from downtown may be more of a hassle than usual this evening.
We have video and pictures of the blaze from Craig Hlavaty and Blake Whitaker.
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oh no! loved that place when i was in houston. saki bombs!
sniff. sniff. thanks for the fuzzy, alcohol impaired, 3am memories! we'll miss you!
love it or hate it, it is sad to see something so tragic happen. i'm glad nobody was injured. hopefully they'll rebuild so everyone can satisfy their garlic chicken #139 cravings. lots of good memories here!
is this where the helicopter was from? i heard that earlier today and was wondering what it was doing in the area.
I was a huge fan. Their spring rolls are the best. I mean were....
I actually braved a bunch of stairs. My feet still hurt. I may have also ruined a shoelace.
Damn wish it was Brekfast Klub instead of Msi's
Damn I would have rather seen the Brekfast Klub go than Mai's
i predict a boom in van loc's business.
Its called zoom. From a hi-def cam. From a vary safe distance in the building across the street.
Pretty sure no bravery was used in capturing the photos. Unless of course, firefighters took the time from their work to whip out a digi cam.
;)
Mai's was a great tradition for many people for many years. Im so sad to see it burn to the ground like this. If anyone knows how it is to own an establishment from the ground up and for so long, these are second homes. Lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into building it and keeping it a successful business for more than 20 years... to see it all crumble in a few hours, must be devastating.
I hope they rebuild, bigger and better. I MISS having more vietnamese/asian establishments in the heart of downtown/midtown. And this one was DEFINITELY one of the better/popular ones around here.
@mrshl - I think they meant the elements of the fire.
Braved the elements? It's Houston; there are no elements.
Sad news.
The roof shots really convey the story. Kudos to the photographer(s) who braved the elements to capture the scene.
I wasn't the BIGGEST fan of theirs, but this is pretty damn tragic - the place was an institution for years and years.
Here's hoping for a resurrection.
Some signals were out in the area. The wind's blowing the smoke to ground-level at HCC and beyond. Quite nasty. In short, a huge pho-king mess!
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