Dallas Apartment Fire Leaves Dozens Homeless
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Some families in North Dallas may be in need of help after an apartment fire swept through their complex.
Relief organizations are mobilizing to help residents from the Forest Park Apartments, in the 3400 block of Forest Lane.
The fire broke out around Noon.
By mid-afternoon residents were allowed back in their homes. There wasn't much holiday spirit when many found soaked Christmas stockings and parts of their ceiling hanging.
"I felt like I was going to faint earlier, because this is everything I have in the house," said resident Natasha Brown.
The fire means residents will celebrate Christmas somewhere else this year.
In all, nine units at the complex were damaged. "Currently we do not know how the fire started, but it start on the second floor," explained Dallas Fire Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans.
There was a hopeful moment. As the smoke cleared Natasha Brown saw that Christmas wasn't a total loss. Amazingly, the presents she managed to buy her 10-year-old son were unharmed.
While Christmas may have been saved, the roof of Brown's apartment, clothes and her bedroom are destroyed. And without renter's insurance Brown will have to rely family and the generosity of the non-profit groups like the Red Cross.
"Some of these units are pretty bad and destroyed," observed Red Cross worker Chris Burnetti. "The apartments are going to place them in vacant units and the people we can aid we will.
Of the 68 people left homeless by the fire 38 are children.
