Wood shingle roofs and wood frame construction contributed to a number of serious apartment fires over the years, but none were more devastating than the one on July 31, 1979. A prime candidate for fire, Woodway Square was a 1,086-unit complex covering 55 acres with its 105 closely spaced buildings.

The first alarm was transmitted at 2:50 p.m. for a fire in one of the two-story apartment houses. In less than 25 minutes, sparks set 10 more buildings on fire. Before the conflagration was controlled four hours later, an unprecendented seventh alarm was pulled. The fire destroyed the equivalent of 10 city blocks, levelling 324 apartments and damaging 100 others. The complex owners incurred losses of $34 million. Fortunately, no one died.

Woodway Square was declared a federal disaster area and victims were given low-cost loans to cover $10 million in uninsured losses. The day after the fire, the Houston City Council passed an ordinance restricting wood shingles in multiple dwellings.