Deadly apartment fire in East Fort Worth forces families from their homes on Christmas Eve
FORT WORTH -- One person is dead, and more than two dozen are homeless this Christmas after the Tides at Meadowbrook Apartment complex in East Fort Worth caught fire Christmas Eve.
"The first thing that went through my head was like, 'wow!' I can't believe this is happening right now. I really hoped everybody's all right" says neighbor, Kyron Kelly.
Kelly lives right across from the building, and he says he was celebrating Christmas with his family when he heard the sirens.
"It was it was a lot to take in. So, I was shocked! It could have been us," says Kelly.
Investigators say they believe the fire started around 8 p.m. in one apartment and quickly spread to the entire building.
The fire department says one person died and one person was taken to Parkland Hospital with serious injuries. Sixteen units in the building were occupied and 25 people were displaced.
Kyle Clay with the Fort Worth Fire Department says when crews arrived there was just heavy smoke in the back of the building, but the extremely windy conditions last night made the flames grow in minutes. Clay says it took more than an hour and a half to get the fire put out.
"The wind the wind had the most to do with it. Once the wind has access to blow through that and fanned that fire, it's tough to get it out, especially in a big building like that," Clay explains.
Louis Moreno's apartment was sadly destroyed. He says his wife and two children, ages five and six, were not hurt, but they lost everything but the clothes on their backs. Moreno says his kids have been asking where their toys are, but says material things can be replaced.
"It just tugs at the heartstrings, you know? Nobody wants to see a kid wake up and nothing under the tree, let alone no tree and no house," says Brian Murnahan with Red Cross North Texas. Murnahan says Red Cross volunteers have been helping the families --- providing them with money, clothing, and temporary housing. A local business, Montgomery Strategies, gave Moreno and his family five hundred dollars.
"When you see damage like this on Christmas Eve, it's not the building that you feel for, It's not the damage of property, it's the impact that leaves on the families," Murnahan adds.
Investigators have not released the names of the victims. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.