Two firefighters were injured fighting a four-alarm apartment fire fanned by strong winds, NBC 5 reported.
Firefighters rescued a 12-year-old boy, and more than a dozen people had to be evacuated after flames broke out Saturday afternoon at the Trinity II apartments in the 1100 block of Esters Road, officials said.
The fire started out in one upstairs unit, but firefighters said it spread into the attic and then the strong winds took it all the way through the building.
The assistant fire chief told NBC 5 that this type of fire would normally be extinguished quickly and confined to one unit. Instead, during a day of fierce wind gusts, 16 apartments were destroyed.
The Dallas Red Cross responded to the scene to assist displaced residents with food and shelter.
We know we're looking at upwards of around 40 to 50 people that are going to be displaced by this fire. With the Red Cross, that's a huge number of people at an apartment fire, Dallas Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said.
So we're going to be talking with them throughout the day, as people come home from their Saturday afternoon errands, they're going to find that they have no home left.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
