Five people were rescued from a massive apartment fire that engulfed a three-story building in Dallas’ Lake Highlands neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Two residents were hospitalized after the two-alarm blaze. The pre-dawn fire displaced an unknown number of residents from their homes. The American Red Cross is providing emergency assistance as investigators work to determine what sparked the destructive blaze.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews responded to the 9900 block of Whitehurst Drive around 1:50 a.m. They arrived to find heavy smoke and flames shooting through the roof of the apartment complex.
Firefighters immediately rushed into the burning units to search for trapped residents. Their efforts led to five rescues from the smoke-filled building.
Two of those rescued required hospital treatment. Dallas Fire-Rescue has not released updates on their conditions.
By 4 a.m., crews had the fire under control. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours afterward, using drone technology to identify and extinguish remaining hot spots.
The overhead aerial views revealed extensive damage to the building’s upper floors and roof structure. The full extent of property damage remains under assessment.
The fire reportedly started on a first-floor balcony, where combustible materials caught fire from a nearby heat source. The flames spread up the exterior of the building to the roofline, catching the entire roof on fire.
The Red Cross is coordinating temporary housing and other essential services for displaced residents. The organization has not specified how many families lost their homes in the blaze.
