Fire Destroys Home of "Friday Nights Light" Actress
Malfunctioning chimney blamed for massive Dallas apartment fire
By GRANT STINCHFIELD and FRANK HEINZ
Updated 5:09 PM CDT, Fri, Jan 8, 2010
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A fire in Dallas destroyed an entire apartment building Thursday morning, including the home of an actress on Friday Night Lights.
Liz Mikel, who is best known for her role as Smash's mother on the NBC series, was one of 10 people displaced by the fire at the Holly Hill apartments in the 7500 block of Holly Hill Drive.
Like her neighbors, Mikel said she lost everything.
"Memories from Friday Night Lights, signatures, scripts that I had saved -- all of that, gone," she said. "But I am grateful to be here. I could be gone."
Mikel escaped the flames with her daughter, Lindsay, and Lindsay's 1-year-old son.
They are trying to find a new home as well as replace essentials lost in the blaze.
"I am getting ready to open a new show at the Dallas Theater Center, and I don't even have clothes for rehearsal," Mikel said.
Mikel will be in the Dallas Theater Center's production of "Give It Up," which begins its run Jan. 15.
The fire was first reported at about 6:30 a.m. at one of the apartments. Shortly before 7 a.m., the fire was elevated to three alarms.
Flames could be seen shooting through the roof, which collapsed as the fire devoured the building. There were 10 apartment homes in the building.
Those displaced by the fire initially sought shelter from the cold with neighbors. The Red Cross is assisting in developing a recovery plan for those affected by the fire.
Investigators blamed a malfunctioning chimney for the fire.
A firefighter injured his shoulder in a fall when a stairwell landing collapsed under him. He is expected to recover.
Lita Beck contributed this this report.
First Published: Jan 7, 2010 7:46 AM CDT
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