Firefighters kicked in an apartment door and rescued a man who was screaming for help, trapped in a fire at the Denton North Apartments Monday night.
The man was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton, according to Brad Lahart, spokesman for the Denton Fire Department.
“He was conscious and breathing when he was transported,” Lahart said. “He was covered in soot and having some trouble breathing.”
He was later transferred to the burn unit at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Lahart said.
The fire started about 10:45 p.m. Monday. Four units were affected.
Kerri Fulks,
spokeswoman for the apartment complex, located in the 3300 block of Fallmeadow
Street, said Tuesday that two units were damaged in the fire. The residents of
both apartments were offered alternate housing.
“They elected to stay with family,” Fulks said.
Deputy fire marshal Chad Weldon said the fired appeared to have started on a ground-floor patio.
“A barbecue grill was on the patio and was a possible ignition source in the area,” Weldon said.
The department is continuing its investigation into the cause of the fire and had no damage estimate available Tuesday, he said.
PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her email address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.
