DENTON, Texas — The Denton Fire Department (DFD) has concluded its investigation into a deadly fire that damaged an apartment complex early Sunday morning.
The department posted a press release on social media.
Officials say they responded to a fire at the Ridgecrest Apartments on Dallas Drive shortly before 2 a.m. DFD issued a second-alarm at 2:15 a.m. to bring in more help before the fire was declared under control at 2:47 a.m.
According to the fire department, a 911 caller said there were several people trapped on the upper floor of the two-story apartment building. Officials reported one person who was successfully rescued from a second-story unit. No other injuries were mentioned.
Firefighters said one man was found dead at the scene. The Denton County Medical Examiner is working to identify the victim and notify his family. Officials said the fire originated from the unit where the victim was found. Fire officials said they struggled to get to the victim in time to rescue him due to the large number of objects in his unit.
More than 20 people living at the complex have been displaced and eight units were heavily damaged, according to the fire department. A DFD official tells WFAA some of those residents have been relocated to vacant apartments at the complex.
Crea Greene, a Denton ISD art teacher and employee with the City of Denton was one of the residents displaced due to the fire.
"It was huge," Greene said.
Greene told WFAA her small dog, "Gucci," began barking non-stop, which woke her up and alerted her to the fire that burned in her apartment building. It was that warning from her pet that allowed her to evacuate her apartment safely.
"I was just stuck, until some of the residents were like 'What are you doing? Get out!'" Greene said. "The people on the second floor were jumping out the windows and people below were huddling up to catch them."
Greene said she knew the man fire officials said died in the fire.
"He was very sweet, he was very kind," Greene said. "He was actually Gucci's best friend. He called Gucci my guard dog, and it just so happened Gucci did end up being my guard dog waking me up from the fire."
Greene's belongings were safe from the fire, but her neighbors, many of whom are college students, lost all of their belongings. Greene told WFAA the Red Cross is temporarily placing her in a nearby hotel room until she's placed in a vacant apartment unit at the complex.
"At this time, the DFD Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled this fire as Undetermined due to the number of possible heat sources and a large volume of contents in the apartment," DFD said in its press release.
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