CLEAR LAKE, Texas (KTRK) — Two days after an 11-year-old boy had to smash a window to escape a fire, a man has been charged with arson, according to court records.
Documents state that Rueben Colbert is currently in custody after he was accused of setting fire to a Clear Lake area apartment complex the day after Thanksgiving.
The fire happened at about 6:30 a.m. on Friday on Pineloch near Galveston Road. Officials said that crews with the Houston Fire Department put out the fire that was centralized on the first and second floors.
Court documents state that Colbert ignited a flammable liquid at the complex.
At least four families were displaced by the fire, including Khy’air McWherter, who said he had to break a window open to get to safety.
“I woke up, and I smelled something – it smelled like a candle. So I opened the door, and I saw a massive fire,” Khy’air said. “Then I broke through the window, and someone came to help me get out of it.”
The Red Cross was contacted to help those displaced find shelter.
Colbert’s bond was set at $250,000.
