Firefighters Respond To 3-Alarm Blaze In Downtown Parking Garage
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - An early morning three-alarm fire in a downtown Dallas parking garage forced the evacuation of a nearby hotel, as firefighters worked to get the flames under control.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, the fire sprung up in the parking garage of a building that is under construction, located near the intersection of Jackson Street and Ervay Street in downtown Dallas, at around 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Smoke filled the air in downtown.
Emergency crews had to evacuate people staying a nearby Hampton Inn as a precaution. Many said that they could smell the smoke. "Just heard the sirens go off and could smell smoke in the room," recalled hotel guest Shauna Shelley. "We were on the 18th floor, so we just walked all the way down, and from our window we could just see... it was just blazing."
Officials stated that the crews got the fire under control about an hour after they first arrived. Nobody was injured during this incident. Workers have remained on the scene Wednesday to monitor hot spots. The hotel guests have been allowed back into their rooms.
There had been some concern early on that a crane at the construction site was in danger of collapsing. Officials have checked out the equipment and no longer feel worried about that happening, however, onlookers are still being asked to remain a safe distance away.
Several streets around the scene were closed early Wednesday, but they have reopened.
Damage to the parking garage was extensive.
No word yet on a cause.
