4 Firefighters Hurt In Irving Apartment Blaze
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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - A fire at an apartment complex early Friday morning left four firefighters injured and dozens of families trying to figure out what to do next, after losing everything. The incident happened shortly before 6:00 a.m. at the Woodside Villas apartment complex, located in the 3400 block of Rochelle Road, just north of the Irving Mall.
When emergency crews arrived at the scene of the two-alarm blaze, flames and smoke were already shooting through the roof of an apartment building. More thick smoke blanketed the complex.
Many people who live at the complex woke up to fire crews knocking on their doors, and yelling at them to get outside.
Ibrahim Hussain said that he left Sudan for a better life in Texas. Now, he has lost everything. "My room is full of smoke when I get up," he recalled. "I just, scared, start running. I didn't get my shoes, my clothes. I just grabbed a blanket and ran out."
According to firefighters, the shape of the roof made it difficult for workers to battle the blaze, because accessing spaces where the flames were spreading was not easy. In the end, the fire destroyed about six apartment units, while another six units were heavily damaged by flames, smoke and water.
And this is not the first time that flames have damaged this apartment complex this year. There was another fire back in June. Fire officials have not said what caused that earlier fire, and if it might be similar to this one on Friday. There has also been no word from the apartment complex management.
As for the firefighters who were injured, two were taken to the hospital as a precaution and the others were treated at a nearby fire station. Their injuries are all minor -- rolled ankles and smashed fingers. They are all expected to be okay.
