An apartment blaze in Mesquite has left multiple families displaced. Officials are seeking public aid to help these citizens in the wake of their lost belongings and homes.
The Mesquite Fire Department reported Wednesday that it had sent units to a reported fire at The Place apartment complex at 3701 Towne Crossing Blvd. Photos taken at the scene of the blaze show firefighters battling the flames as well as the charred remains of the structures after the fire had been subdued.
The City of Mesquite later announced that no tenants were injured in the October 18 incident; however, the fire had left 16 apartment units completely destroyed and the tenants living in them displaced.
Taylor Wallace, one of the tenants whose home was destroyed, told Fox 4 News KDFW that she had been at a nearby Red Lobster at the time of the fire. She initially mistook the smoke as coming from the restaurant where she works.
“I couldn’t see past the intersection. We looked around and realized it was coming from where I live,” said Wallace. “Fortunately, none of us were home, with the exception of my cat. We have not located it at this point. I don’t think it is going to be possible, but we’re all okay.”
Wallace, who lived in the unit with her two children, also learned she did not have renters insurance. Instead, the insurance she and the other tenants had been paying alongside the rent only covered the apartment complex’s property, not personal property.
She noted that among all the items destroyed by the fire, her eldest daughter’s handmade puppets were a considerable loss.
“She can make them again, but that will be really hard for her. They had names, [she] played with them every day, worked on them every day,” Wallace explained.
Both children were with their grandmother at the time of the fire, and Wallace had not yet broken the news to them about their home.
The American Red Cross Greater North Texas is currently working with the Mesquite City Manager’s Office to determine housing options for those displaced like Wallace.
“We are helping those families get the immediate assistance they need. That being either replacing medication or financial relief,” said Doyle Rader, a spokesman with the nonprofit. “About a dozen people have come in to seek the assistance we are providing.”
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the blaze. Readers who wish to aid displaced tenants may donate funds via Sharing Life.
