No Injuries In Irving Apartment Fire
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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - The Irving Fire Department is still trying to determine what caused a fire early Monday morning at an apartment complex. The incident took place at around 6:00 a.m. in the 4000 block of North Story Road, at the Shadows of Cottonwood apartments.
Heavy flames were showing when emergency crews first arrived at the burning three-story building. The fire destroyed six units and damaged another six units, for a total of 12 families impacted by the blaze. Most people lost many or all of their belongings, but there were no injuries reported -- and that includes a number of pets living in the building.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames rather quickly, despite temperatures below the freezing mark at the time of the fire.
Kwasi Graham is a Marine who has spent time serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was allowed back into his damaged apartment unit later Monday morning to retrieve a few belonings. He recalled, "They told me to get my stuff as quick as possible because, in a matter of time, the floor, the walls are going to cave-in on my bedroom, living room."
The American Red Cross said that all of the affected families already have another place to stay -- either with friends or family members, or in other apartment units provided by the complex's management staff.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation. Officials know that the flames first began on the building's third-floor, but further details are not yet known.
One resident said that the fire may have started in her chimney. The family's dog woke up her and her husband before smoke detectors even went off. "The dog just kind of popped up on the bed, got on his chest and like, I'm not breathing well," said Sara Skaggs. "He got up and got out to the living room and saw the wall had caught fire."
Graham also helped warn apartment residents about the fire, going door-to-door to alert his neighbors. He is thankful, he said, that nobody was hurt. "I knocked on doors and then made sure I could get my stuff," Graham said.
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