TERRELL, Texas — Unpermitted electrical work was to blame for an apartment fire at a Terrell apartment complex which displaced several families on Monday, January 12, 2015.
TERRELL, Texas — Unpermitted electrical work was to blame for an apartment fire at a Terrell apartment complex which displaced several families on Monday, January 12, 2015.
The Terrell Fire Department responded to the Texas Apartments at 1001 Mineral Wells Street on reports of smoke coming from the roof of an apartment building. Mutual aid was requested from the Forney Fire Department, Terrell Volunteer Fire Department, Kaufman Fire Department, and the Able Springs Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters were working in Building N which houses unit 170 through 175. The fire spread throughout the walls, attic, and crawl spaces of at least two of the units, upstairs and downstairs. The remaining three units in the building sustained smoke damage, according to Terrell Fire Department Fire Marshal Tom Cooper.
“The cause of the fire was a result of unpermitted electrical work which caused wires to arc out in the sub floor area of the apartment,” Cooper told inForney.com.
Of the two units affected, one was vacant. However, all the occupants of the building will be displaced because they are all serviced by a master meter which was shutdown due to the fire. The American Red Cross has been notified and will assist the families.
The fire was reported extinguished just before 1 p.m.
“Fire crews did an amazing job containing and stopping the fire,” said Cooper.
