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Neuropathy is experienced by nearly 20 million Americans.

With pain, numbness, and burning - it can be debilitating and life-changing.

Neuropathy Pain Relief in Bellaire, TX

Neuropathy refers to a condition characterized by damage or dysfunction of the peripheral nerves, which are responsible for transmitting signals between the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the rest of the body. Neuropathy is caused by conditions including diabetes, infections, traumatic injuries, autoimmune diseases, and exposure to certain toxins. As a consequence of nerve damage, individuals with neuropathy often experience a range of symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness in the affected areas.

Neuropathy can significantly impact a person's quality of life, affecting mobility and daily activities. Neuropathy is more than painful - it's also stressful, bothersome, and all-encompassing. It causes both men and women to become reclusive, depressed, and unable to enjoy life. If you're suffering from neuropathy, you might feel like all hope is lost. But the team at Texas Nerve and Spine are here to help.

Neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX, is more achievable than you might think, and it doesn't need to involve harmful surgeries or addictive pain medications.

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The Texas Nerve and Spine Difference

Difference

At our nerve and spine clinic in Bellaire, TX, we have a simple philosophy: Treat every patient the same way that you would treat your parent, spouse, or child if they were patients at Texas Nerve and Spine. As a family-owned and operated institution, that's just the way we do business. While some spine and nerve pain clinics focus solely on monetary transactions and ROI, we prefer to put our patients' needs first before anything else. And that, in a nutshell, is what sets Texas Nerve and Spine apart from all the others.

We supplement our patient-first philosophy with innovative neuropathy therapies. Our therapies restore our patients' health while correcting the underlying causes of their nerve issues without relying on damaging pharmaceutical drugs or expensive, invasive surgeries.

It all starts with our unique Brain to Body system - a cutting-edge approach developed specifically for people with chronic pain and nerve diseases. This system helps treat patients suffering from a wide range of conditions, including:

  • Chronic Pain
  • Sports Injuries
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Sciatica
  • Scoliosis
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Diabetic Neuropathy
  • Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Post-Surgical Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Problems with Balance
  • Vertigo
  • Herniated Discs
  • Muscle Weakness
  • Extremity Tingling and Numbness
  • Migraines

If you're in search of lasting relief and world-class therapies for neuropathy, our team is here to serve you.

How the Brain to Body System Provides Neuropathy Relief in Bellaire, TX

To reverse neuropathy, areas of the body that have become weak due to disease or injury must be restrengthened. This encompasses your brain, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, and cells. Our experts at Texas Nerve and Spine developed the most advanced chronic pain and neuropathy therapy system to do all of this and more, and we call it the Brain to Body System.

From chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and extremity numbness to diabetic neuropathy and sciatica, our Brain to Body System helps restore your health and corrects the causes of your problems. Unlike treatments from other nerve and spine clinics, our system provides long-term relief without relying on invasive surgeries or dangerously addictive pharmaceutical medications.

To understand how our Brain to Body System solves chronic pain and similar conditions like nerve disease, you need a basic knowledge of the conditions themselves. That way, you can understand why so many who suffer from them rarely improve.

Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

Neuropathy

Neuropathy is nerve damage that causes pain, numbness, and burning in the extremities. This is a type of condition that does not get better on its own and it doesn't alleviate after the use of traditional medical treatments or prescription pain meds.

Pain from neuropathy causes a domino effect; it starts with inflammation, leading to decreased blood supply. This reduction in blood supply results in a lack of oxygen. When your body doesn't get enough oxygen, it loses crucial nutrients that your body needs. This progressive effect often leads to long-term problems such as:

  • Chronic Pain
  • Motor-Function Loss
  • Loss of Sensation
  • Muscular Atrophy
  • Loss of Movement
  • Depression

But with our Brain to Body Strengthening System, patients suffering from neuropathy build strength through rehabilitation. This advanced system helps:

  • Stimulate New Nerve Pathways
  • Strengthen and Grow Muscles
  • Promote Cellular Repair
  • Improve Circulation and Blood Flow

Our Brain to Body System is central to our approach to neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX. By following our system, we can provide several services to patients suffering from neuropathy.

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EWOT: Exercise with Oxygen Therapy

Breathing in higher levels of oxygen helps to improve your health. Exercise with Oxygen Therapy is a technique that increases oxygen circulation at a more rapid pace than oxygen therapy alone.

How Does EWOT Work?

At Texas Nerve and Spine, our doctors use the NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer. This specialized machine trains your muscles, brain, and nerves to work together, which supports your body's whole healing processes. While using the NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer, patients are hooked up to an oxygen generator to enjoy the benefits of EWOT and reach their neuropathy relief goals.

When you oxygenate your blood with EWOT, it can have amazing benefits that can:

  • Restore Blood Flow
  • Improve Oxygen Circulation
  • Reduce Inflammation
  • Boost Energy
  • Increase Strength
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
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Flexion/Distraction Therapy

Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

Many patients who visit Texas Nerve and Spine are suffering from neuropathy, due to spinal issues. This requires specialized kind of care from highly trained doctors. If you're in search of a safe, gentle, controlled treatment for nerve and spinal pain, Flexion Distraction therapy may be for you.

How Does Flexion/Distraction Therapy Work?

Finding relief for this type of condition and pain is often easier said than done. Fortunately, relief is right around the corner at Texas Nerve and Spine. Our Flexion/Distraction Table stretches the spine safely and gently, allowing injured tissue and damaged discs the chance to heal and become hydrated, which lets the affected area recover more effectively and efficiently, while taking the pressure off the nerves that cause the neuropathy.

Patients looking for neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX choose Flexion/Distraction therapy because it:

  • Reduces Spinal Pain
  • Fosters Healing in Damaged Discs
  • Removes Pressure on Spinal Nerves
  • Is Non-Invasive
  • Is Cost-Effective
  • Does Not Require Downtime
  • Has No Risk of Infection
  • Provides Quicker, Easier Healing
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Laser Therapy

With more than 20 million people in the U.S. suffering from neuropathy, it makes sense that most of them want a solution that does not require pain medication or invasive surgery. That's where laser therapy from Texas Nerve and Spine comes into play. Laser therapy has been used for therapeutic purposes in medical environments for years. In fact, it is FDA-approved and backed by more than 2,500 research studies, which have demonstrated its efficacy in neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX.

How Does Laser Therapy Work?

Though laser therapy is a common treatment option, not all lasers are the same. Our Class IV laser therapy, used in all applicable programs, is the most efficacious and powerful laser available for tissue healing and regeneration and healing. Class IV lasers use photobiomodulation, which provides excellent results for Musculoskeletal disorders. This process has also been proven to help with other various conditions that cause chronic pain, such as sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain, shoulder pain, and much more.

Our chronic pain patients choose laser therapy from Texas Nerve and Spine because it:

  • Provides Significant Relief Without Pain or Side Effects
  • Cost-Effective
  • Reduce Inflammation
  • Boost Blood Flow
  • Accelerate Tissue Repair
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
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Motor Function Re-Training Therapy

When your motor functions are limited or non-existent from neuropathy, it can ruin your life. You lose the ability to be independent - one of the hallmarks of being human. Fortunately, with Motor Function Retraining Therapy at Texas Nerve and Spine, patients suffering from neuropathy related motor function issues have a light at the end of the tunnel. This type of specialized physical therapy helps people recover from neuropathy that leaves their motor functions lacking. The goal of Motor Function Retraining Therapy is to regain coordination and strength.

Motor Function Retraining Therapy is a crucial part of the motor function rehabilitation process because it helps patients regain the independence they lost. It helps patients return to their original level of motor function or better.

Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

How Does Motor Function Re-Training Work?

Based on our Brain to Body Strengthening System, our experts design custom exercise programs based on the patient's needs. We may also use electrical stimulation and other modalities for more effective sessions and recovery.

Motor Function Retraining Therapy provides many benefits, including:

  • Improved Flexibility
  • More Strength
  • Increased Range of Motion
  • Re-Claim Independence
  • More Independence
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Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

Myofascial Release Therapy

Myofascial Release Therapy gives patients neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX, and boosts mobility by loosening tight muscles. There are similarities to traditional massages, however, Myofascial Release Therapy focuses on soft tissues and the muscular system in your body to relieve tension and stress on muscles.

How Does Myofascial Release Therapy Work?

Tight muscles have reduced blood flow and less oxygen, leading to restricted movement and intense pain. Our system uses state-of-the-art technology to apply acute, high-velocity vibration directly to the affected tissue to provide the patient with the environment necessary to increase mobility and reduce pain.

Benefits of this type of therapy include:

  • Improved Tissue Recovery
  • Reduced Soreness
  • Improved Range of Motion
  • Increases Blood Flow
  • Better Neuromuscular Efficiency
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Neuro Impulse Therapy

When the nerves are weakened, due to neuropathy, pain develops, inflammation increases, and blood flow decreases. If you're searching for a safe, effective way to deal with painful spine related nerve issues Neuro Impulse Therapy may be a great option for neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX. Unlike common chiropractic therapies, this advanced therapy does not involve any "cracking" or significant adjustments.

How Does Neuro Activation Wall Therapy Work?

Any type of injury can cause dysfunction and weakness in your brain. To improve cognition and the neurological connection between the brain, the muscles, and the nerves, some injured patients choose to undergo Interactive Neurocognitive Therapy using our Neuro Activation Wall. This wall retains, strengthens, and restores proper function to the brain and nervous system without relying on medications or invasive therapies.

Neuro Impulse Therapy works by using very specific impulses directed at the area causing pain. These targeted impulses send a signal to your body so that it can begin healing and repairing your body naturally.

Texas Nerve and Spine patients choose Neuro Impulse Therapy because it:

  • Improves Cognition
  • Strengthens Damaged Nerves
  • Boosts Balance and Mobility
  • Is Non-Invasive
  • Does Not Require Addictive Medicines
  • Does Not Require Recovery Time
  • Does Not Present Any Risk of Infection
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

Peripheral Neuropathy Rehabilitation

Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when there is a lack of blood flow to the nerves in areas like your feet and hands. When these nerves are devoid of blood, they begin to decay and degenerate because they don't have enough oxygen or nutrients. Eventually, the nerves in your body shrivel up, causing pain, numbness, balance problems, and other painful symptoms.

How Does Peripheral Neuropathy Rehabilitation Work?

Our Brain to Body program works wonders for neuropathy issues like these by using state-of-the-art technology like laser therapy and personalized, strategic plans of action created around our patient's needs. If you're looking for both short and long-term pain relief from peripheral neuropathy, this could be the solution you need.

Spinal Decompression Therapy

Spinal conditions that cause neuropathy range in severity from bearable to crippling. To get to the bottom of your spine conditions, our team uses X-Rays to pinpoint the location of your spine's disease. From there, we craft a custom rehabilitation program that addresses the underlying causes of your pain and neuropathy.

Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX
Neuropathy Pain Relief Treatments Bellaire, TX

How Does Spinal Decompression Therapy Work?

Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine. When the spine is stretched, it changes its position. This change relieves pressure off the discs in your spine, which act as cushions in your back. By creating negative pressure, herniated and bulging discs retract, giving the nerves and structures in your back relief. This relief sends nutrient-rich fluids and oxygen to the discs so they can heal properly.

Your Path to Neuropathy Relief Starts at Texas Nerve and Spine

Neuropathy can be debilitating. But it doesn't have to be permanent. Your journey to a neuropathy-free life starts with a simple four-step process at Texas Nerve and Spine:

step-one

Identify the Root Cause of Your Neuropathy

At Texas Nerve and Spine, our doctors understand that true neuropathy relief in Bellaire, TX, won't happen until we can uncover its underlying cause(s). Our specialists will perform detailed exams and review your medical history to understand the full scope of your condition.

step-two

Develop a Plan for Healing

Once we have discovered the underlying reasons for your neuropathy, it's time to begin healing. Our team will work together to craft a personalized treatment plan to provide long-term relief for your neuropathy.

step-three

Provide a Plan of Care

Our team has the experience and resources to provide you with your plan of care. This plan will be based on your needs and our Brain to Body Strengthening System, giving you the relief you deserve - naturally.

step-four

Continued Support

Neuropathy relief cannot be accomplished without a tested system and a purpose-driven team that supports your recovery. That's why our expert staff will assess your journey to recovery and be there for support every step of the way. Because when you are a patient at Texas Nerve and Spine, you're never alone.

Latest News in Bellaire, TX

‘Cost us a lot of customers’: Construction at Bellaire shopping complex affecting businesses ability to make money

BELLAIRE, Texas – Bellaire business owners say they’re losing customers because of ongoing construction.There isn’t much an Italian restaurant, yoga studio or a nail salon would have in common, but at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and Chimney Rock, fencing and construction is impacting their bottom line.The Friday rush at Auntie Pasto’s has slowed down in the last few months.The owner, Joel Dickinson, said it’s down 20 to 30 percent in a given month.“Unfortun...

BELLAIRE, Texas – Bellaire business owners say they’re losing customers because of ongoing construction.

There isn’t much an Italian restaurant, yoga studio or a nail salon would have in common, but at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and Chimney Rock, fencing and construction is impacting their bottom line.

The Friday rush at Auntie Pasto’s has slowed down in the last few months.

The owner, Joel Dickinson, said it’s down 20 to 30 percent in a given month.

“Unfortunately, in this business that’s a matter of life or death,” he said.

The issue has nothing to do with what they’re doing inside, but the construction outside.

The entire shopping complex is getting remodeled.

Its a project Dickinson and other owners thought would take a few months, but by the look of things, its not clear when it will wrap up.

On the other end of the complex, at Yoga Tres, the owners say they’re increasing their social media presence to limit the “are you still open” calls.

“Quite honestly, it hurts my heart. I mean all business owners we have so much sweat equity in addition to the regular equity that all businesses put into their business and I think that it’s hard because we have been up here and now we’re slowly declining,” said Stacie Zollars.

All of the owners say their landlord is super responsive and does what he can. But, as of now, they don’t know how much longer they can go.

“While this is going on its just cost us a lot of customers. Folks think we’re closed or don’t want to mess with the difficulty of getting in here,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson said his loyal customers are spreading the word and making an effort to grab dinner.

“Our mutual friend Jenny told us that they were hurting for business and that we needed to come,” said patron Mary Kaspar.

The nail salon owner said she is losing at least $10,000 a month since the start of construction.

Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

One of Germany’s Most Popular Coffee Shops Lands in Bellaire, Texas

Coffee Fellows, one of Germany’s top coffee houses, has opened its first North American store in the Houston area.The European coffee house, which opened Wednesday morning on 4900 Bissonnet Street in Bellaire, is serving a variety of hand-made coffees, teas, smoothies, and juices, plus bagel sandwiches, pastries, and salads — all with an emphasis on sustainability, according to a release.Though originally launched in Munich, Coffee Fellows i...

Coffee Fellows, one of Germany’s top coffee houses, has opened its first North American store in the Houston area.

The European coffee house, which opened Wednesday morning on 4900 Bissonnet Street in Bellaire, is serving a variety of hand-made coffees, teas, smoothies, and juices, plus bagel sandwiches, pastries, and salads — all with an emphasis on sustainability, according to a release.

Though originally launched in Munich, Coffee Fellows intends to tailor its menu to American preferences and will prioritize locally sourced ingredients and will use local vendors and a local roastery in an attempt to adhere to its environmentally-friendly practices, according to a release.

The chain will likely get some added perspective on the Houston coffee scene from its North American chief operating officer Chris Fannin, who formerly led local chain Common Bond Bistro & Bakery as president.

Fannin will help oversee the German chain’s expansion throughout the United States, which is slated to open up to 25 locations in Texas alone, including its first-ever, drive-thru stores. In the Houston area, Coffee Fellows plans to open three more locations in the Heights, River Oaks, and in Katy by late summer or early fall. The additional locations planned for Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and the Houston area will open sometime in 2024 and/or 2025.

To date, the coffee shop, which was launched in Germany in 1999, has more than 200 locations throughout Europe and Mongolia.

Several coffee houses with an international component have been cropping up in the Houston area over the past year. Canadian chain Tim Horton’s opened in Katy last year, followed by New York-based, Australian-style cafes, like Blue Stone Lane, which now has multiple Houston outposts, and Citizens of Montrose, another New York-based Australian-style cafe that opened in early June.

Coffee Fellows in Bellaire is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

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4900 Bissonnet Street, Bellaire, Texas 77401 Visit Website

Bellaire’s New York Eatery restaurant to close May 14

New York Eatery, the Bellaire sister restaurant to Meyerland favorite New York Deli & Coffee Shop, will close May 14 just shy of two years of operations.Owners Michael Saghian and Riana Sherman announced that the full-service restaurant, opened during the pandemic, never found its audience at 5422 Bellaire, the location that’s also home to ...

New York Eatery, the Bellaire sister restaurant to Meyerland favorite New York Deli & Coffee Shop, will close May 14 just shy of two years of operations.

Owners Michael Saghian and Riana Sherman announced that the full-service restaurant, opened during the pandemic, never found its audience at 5422 Bellaire, the location that’s also home to Bagel Shop Bakery and Houston Catering Concepts. The closing of New York Eatery does not affect Bagel Shop Bakery or Houston Catering Concepts at that address; both remain open. New York Deli & Coffee Shop and Bagel Shop operations at 9724 Hillcroft also are not affected.

When it opened in October 2021, New York Eatery was intended as an extension of the popular New York Deli, a Meyerland staple, only three miles away.

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“The Eatery was supposed to be an overflow from Hillcroft, but that didn’t happen,” Saghian said. “The Eatery didn’t gain the traction it needed.” Business didn’t transfer from Hillcroft to Bellaire. In fact, business boomed at New York Deli, Sherman said.

“Hillcroft is the little engine that could,” Sherman said, adding that closing the Eatery allows the business to concentrate on the deli, bagel shops, and catering operations. “It’s sad, but we feel more excited about the future that this is allowing us to do.”

Staff from the restaurant have been offered other opportunities within the businesses, Saghian said. The partners are retaining the Eatery location for the time being; the space can be used for private events.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at [email protected]. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.

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May 9, 2023

Greg Morago was a food editor for the Houston Chronicle.

Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 years before joining the Chronicle in 2009. He wrote about food, restaurants, spirits, travel, fashion and beauty. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Community.

Bellaire’s Town Center: Reaching for a Vision

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18BELLAIRE, Texas – (By Ralph Bivins, Realty News Report) – Three commercial acres, which have been designated as part of the “Urban Village – Downtown District” at the heart of the city of Bellaire presents an opportunity for transformative development.A shuttered Randall’s grocery store sits on the property, located about a half mile from Loop 610 at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue....

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

BELLAIRE, Texas – (By Ralph Bivins, Realty News Report) – Three commercial acres, which have been designated as part of the “Urban Village – Downtown District” at the heart of the city of Bellaire presents an opportunity for transformative development.

A shuttered Randall’s grocery store sits on the property, located about a half mile from Loop 610 at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue.

In what appears to be Bellaire’s last remaining commercial redevelopment jewel at core of the town’s center, expectations should be high. It’s only two blocks from City Hall, but considering the city’s visionless leadership, the site might as well be 200 miles away.

So, the Bellaire City Council is moving toward a vote to allow Methodist Hospital to build a three-story, 95,000-SF medical office building there.

That’s right, the city leadership believes a medical office building – with office hours of something like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday – can be the core of its urban downtown district.

Could anything be worse than a medical professional building to anchor a town’s downtown urban village?

Redevelopment specialists would say Bellaire’s cornerstone development should be mixed-use, walkable and multi-story. To encourage 18-hour activity, multiple restaurants, outdoor seating, a public greenspace and retention of existing oak trees are all musts. Compatible tenants should be selected for the upper floors where upscale condos could add a residential element. Visitors should be inspired by high-quality public art.

Must the existing 32,000-SF Randall’s store be demolished as the plan calls for? It was built in the mid-1950s as a Weingarten’s grocery – a near-historic facility that fed Bellaire families for decades even as the store brand changed. Can the store be redeveloped?

The property is now owned by Kimco Realty, which acquired the Weingarten Realty company in 2021. Kimco plans to lease the site to Methodist Hospital.

The opportunity for the “Urban Village Downtown District” Randall’s site could be frittered away with a City Council vote in July.

Bellaire Mayor Andrew S. Friedberg did not disclose his stance on the Methodist proposal. “Personally, I’m pretty sure what my vote will be, but as always I will maintain an open mind to what my colleagues have to say and to ongoing public comment,” the mayor said in an email Tuesday.

The Bellaire municipality has an unreasonable fear of multi-story development and density, as evidenced by its handling of the plans for the 30-acre former Chevron campus at Loop 610 and Fournace.

Perhaps city leaders could visit the Montrose Collective development on Westheimer Road for inspiration and talk to project’s developer, Steve Radom.

Perhaps, Bellaire can borrow inspiration from Dallas’s downtown bridges – landmarks designed by Santiago Calatrava. A signature pedestrian bridge from the Randall’s site to the uber-verdant esplanade in Bellaire Boulevard would be a landmark that gives the people easy access to wide, blocks-long green space that now lies behind a barrier of a six-lane thoroughfare.

Now is the time to make a statement at the key intersection in Bellaire. Anything is better than a medical office building. Bellaire’s absurd fear of the slightest hint of planned urbanity has gone on long enough.

How the Bellaire City Code Defines its Urban Village Downtown District:

This district is intended to support a transition to a more urban development character through redevelopment in the core downtown area. This could provide the critical mass the area has always lacked to spur greater foot traffic and extended visits that are essential to a vibrant mix of retail, service and hospitality businesses.

June 20, 2023 Realty News Report Copyright 2023

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Image: Courtesy Weingarten

File: Bellaire’s Town Center: Reaching for a Vision. Development. Municipalities. Bellaire’s Town Center: Reaching for a Vision

Chemical fire 'under control' after prompting shelter-in-place for Bellaire area, chief says

Residents in the Bellaire area spent hours Saturday sheltering in place after a warning that a fire at a nearby chrome plating plant may put "respiratory irritants" into the air.The fire at 6200 Royalton prompted an AlertHouston message Saturday morning, reading: "Close doors, windows and turn off A/C to limit exposure."After several hours, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said...

Residents in the Bellaire area spent hours Saturday sheltering in place after a warning that a fire at a nearby chrome plating plant may put "respiratory irritants" into the air.

The fire at 6200 Royalton prompted an AlertHouston message Saturday morning, reading: "Close doors, windows and turn off A/C to limit exposure."

After several hours, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said firefighters were "mopping up" and checking for hot spots. "They need to move some things around but they're doing it cautiously because it was heavy damage to the metal building and we're not going to take any chances on getting any firefighters injured," he said.

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An automatic alarm was triggered around 4 a.m. at High Tech Finishing's aviation industry plant, and initial indications point to the fire being accidental, Peña said. "Part of the process overheated, and that's where it seems that the fire started," he said.

The Houston Fire Department won't have a final determination of the fire's origin until arson officials complete an investigation, he said.

Nobody was at the chrome plating plant at the time of the fire, the chief said. HFD inspected the plant this month, and although it held a variety of chemicals, no major infractions were found, he said. Officials with the company could not immediately be reached for comment.

The initial shelter-in-place warning was for those in a 1.5-mile radius surrounding 6200 Royalton in southwest Houston near Bellaire, according to city officials.

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"We did issue a shelter in place just because of the concern of the particulates," Peña said. "There was no explosive danger in the air. The particulates in the air could be respiratory irritants."

HFD and the city condensed and then lifted the shelter in place.

Some Houstonians, agitated by the city’s emergency communications to residents, took to social media to share information about the fire and help clear up confusion about the shelter in place’s boundaries.

Alexis Mobley, a local scientist who lives near the Galleria area with her young child, had to go on Twitter to find out if her home was within the 1.5-mile radius of the shelter in place. She was especially concerned because she is immunocompromised and has asthma.

“'Did they only send it to people who need to shelter in place? What’s the radius?’ I was just like, ‘What is going on here?’” she said of the city’s brief alert to residents. “Houston’s website didn’t say anything, the (Office of Emergency Management) didn’t say anything. … It was just this text message to shelter in place because of a fire.”

“They do it so poorly,” Mobley added.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worked with HFD to do the readings, Peña said.

No injuries to firefighters and civilians were reported, HFD said in a tweet at 9:20 a.m.

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