An early morning fire in a Far North Dallas apartment left two people dead today, after flames tore through a first-floor unit in a two-story building. Fire crews arrived to find the apartment engulfed, and despite rescue efforts, one person later died at a hospital, while another was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said units were called out just before 3:30 a.m. to the 4000 block of Frankford Road near Midway Road. Crews requested a second alarm after reports that several residents might be trapped, according to WFAA. Firefighters were able to knock down the flames and reported that the blaze was largely contained to the unit where it started in under an hour.
Scene and victims
When firefighters pulled up, heavy flames were already pouring from the ground-floor apartment, prompting immediate search-and-rescue efforts, a department spokesman told CBS News Texas. The outlet reported that the two people who died were siblings. One was carried out of the unit and taken to a Dallas hospital, where they later died, while the other was found inside the apartment and pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation under way
Officials said the origin and cause of the fire are still being investigated, and the Dallas County Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death for both residents, according to WFAA. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims.
Impact on neighbors
Dallas Fire-Rescue said most of the structural damage was confined to the single apartment where the fire began, and crews stayed on scene into the morning working hotspots, CBS News Texas reported. Officials did not immediately say how many neighbors were displaced or whether any aid organizations had been called in to assist residents.
