Dallas apartment roof collapse leaves 32 residents without homes
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Thirty-one people are displaced after an apartment complex roof collapsed Sunday afternoon.
It happened at the Marquita Court apartment building in the Lower Greenville area.
"It was pretty scary," one resident, Denise Hodges said. "Honestly I mean you don't really think that's going to happen where you live."
Hodges is still in shock as she gathers what she could on her way out of the building.
She's just one of the more than two dozen people without living arrangements after part of the Marquita Courts apartment was damaged.
Dallas Fire said they responded to the call around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Crews said when they arrived they found the two-story apartment building with part of the roof already collapsed.
A HazMat and Urban search and rescue response had responded and prepared for potential search and rescue efforts. Everyone made it out safely.
There were 12 apartments in the building where the roof collapsed. The building attached by a breezeway was also evacuated out of an abundance of caution.
There were 24 apartments in total, three of them were vacant. They have all been deemeduninhabitable.
Fire crews said they helped residents get their pets and other essentials they could from the building.
Hodges said she was inside her first-floor apartment with her husband and two kids at the time.
"I was kind of just dosing off on the couch, watching a movie with my son and all I know is my husband came inside and he was like, 'You guys need to get your shoes on, we need to go,'" Hodges said.
She said she quickly grabbed her and her kids shoes and her dog and cat and left. Then she waited outside like everyone else.
A Dart bus waited nearby to give everyone a cool place to sit and wait to hear about what's next.
Thankfully no one was hurt. Hodges said she's doing her best to look at what's she's thankful for after losing her apartment.
"I try to be kind of optimistic in kind of tough situations, so I'm trying to keep the mood up," Hodges said.
Hodges said she's only been living at the complex for two or three months.
American Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced. Dallas Fire said the property manager will have to secure the property and have the building assessed to know what to do next.
Fire crews also noted the property manager will have to figure out what will happen with the resident's cars that are currently parked in the building's underground parking area.
For the safety of commuters and people walking by, Matilda, between Marquita and Vanderbilt, has been blocked off until a structural engineer contracted by property management determines whether the building can be repaired or needs to be torn down.