Brennan's Restaurant, revered Midtown landmark, destroyed by fire

Three people were severely injured and a Houston culinary landmark was left in ashes early Saturday by a fire that erupted as Hurricane Ike began to barrel into town.

Brennan's Restaurant, a Midtown institution famous for its turtle soup and bananas foster and a time-honored eatery among local society, was ruined by the blaze. A 45-year-old man and his 4-year-old daughter, along with a third man who was not related to them, were taking refuge from the storm inside the brick structure.

The father and daughter were taken to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center with burn injuries, Assistant Fire Chief Omero Longoria said. Both were listed in critical condition early today, a hospital spokesperson said. The other man was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he is listed in fair condition.

The cause of the fire and whether it is connected to the storm was not yet known.