HOUSTON — About 20 residents were rescued Tuesday morning after a fire ripped through a southwest Houston apartment building, forcing firefighters to use ladders to evacuate people trapped on upper floors.
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. at the Hearthwood Condos near Main and Westridge streets. Houston Fire Department officials said heavy smoke made interior hallways impassable, requiring firefighters to rescue residents from second- and third-floor balconies.
One of those rescued was third-floor resident Destiny Walters. She is six months pregnant, and she told KHOU 11 that firefighters helped her and her children escape by climbing down a ladder from their balcony…