A fire in a detached garage apartment on Treeridge Place killed one person and sent a Woodlands firefighter to the hospital Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The Woodlands Fire Department responded to calls about smoke near Mill Bend and Grogans Mill around 4:40 p.m. Moments later, a structure fire was reported in the 10400 block of Treeridge Place, near Wild Wind Place, FOX 26 Houston reported based on information provided at the scene by the fire department.

When crews arrived, flames were already burning through the tile roof of a detached garage, according to the department.

Firefighters entered the structure and began attacking the blaze. The second-floor roof started to collapse. That's when crews spotted a stairway leading to a second-floor apartment above the garage, the department said. As firefighters climbed the stairs, flames pushed them back and the second floor gave way, forcing a retreat.

After bringing the fire under control, crews re-entered the second floor and found one person dead.

KHOU 11 identified the victim as a tenant of the garage apartment. The Montgomery County Police Reporter confirmed flames were visible through the roof when firefighters first arrived at the scene.

One firefighter was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital for heat-related injuries sustained during the response. The firefighter's name and condition have not been released.

The department, led by Fire Chief Palmer Buck, has not publicly identified the victim. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The fire broke out in the Grogan's Mill neighborhood, one of the oldest sections of The Woodlands. No damage estimate for the structure has been released, and no timeline for a fire marshal's report or medical examiner findings has been announced.

Residents with information can contact The Woodlands Fire Department's non-emergency line.