HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Sixteen people were found inside an illegal boarding house Wednesday in northwest Harris County, according to the fire marshal's office.
Authorities said most of the residents were older than 65 and three of them are not able to move or take care of themselves at all.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said there was no fire or life safety equipment inside the house and they didn't have a permit to operate. They said the residents would not have been able to get out of the house in case of an emergency.
HCFMO defines a boarding house as "an establishment that furnishes in one or more buildings, lodging three or more persons with disabilities (as defined by Human Resource Code 48) or elderly (65+) persons who are unrelated to the owner of the establishment by blood or marriage; and provides residents with community meals, light housework, meal preparation, transportation, grocery shopping, money management, laundry services or assistance with self-administration or medication but does not provide personal care services."
"If you're not licensed, not permitted and you're operating under the radar, we're coming in to enforce the law," a Harris County Sheriff's Office investigator said.
All of the residents were picked up by family or transported away from the house in the 12600 block of Cypress North Houston Road.
HCSO officials said the people running the boarding house were collecting money from the residents but were not paying rent, so they were evicted.
They also said there were three to four people in small bedrooms, which is not enough room.
It's unclear exactly what charges the people who were running the facility might face.
Authorities said there were health care providers inside the house, but they were not licensed or permitted.