Body Found in Arlington Apartment Fire

The body of a person has been recovered from a burned apartment following an early-morning 3-alarm fire that has left 16 people homeless in Arlington.

Firefighters were called to the Cimarron Crossing Apartments on the 2000 block of Remington Drive just after 1 a.m. Monday.  As they arrived, they reported heavy fire visible from the second floor.

As firefighters battled the fire, a second and third alarm were called while residents were evacuated from the building.

At about 4:40 a.m., after firefighters had doused the fire, the body of a person who had previously been unaccounted for was located inside a burned apartment.  The identity of that person, and their official cause of death, has not yet been released.

At least eight units of the complex were destroyed by the fire.  Firefighters told NBC 5 the roof of one building collapsed and that there is concern over a wall that is leaning heavily and in danger of collapse.

Investigators said the fire broke out in an apartment building in the middle of the complex. Firefighters said it was a difficult location to get to because they had to park the fire engines far away and drag their hoses by hand to the area.

"There was pretty heavy fire when we first got here, and this is right in the middle of the complex, so we had to drag hand lines to fight it," said Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Bill McQuatters.

In all, about 16 people, including four children, were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross is assisting residents in need of shelter.

William Henley, a resident of the complex, told NBC 5 he lost everything in the blaze.

"Someone came banging on my door, the unit was on fire," Henley said. "Just stunned, shocked. I haven't really processed anything yet."

One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation after escaping the fire. Firefighters were able to rescue one resident's cat and reunite the pet with its owner.

Fire investigators are working to determine how the fire started.

Contact Us