Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Dallas Apartment Fires

Two large Dallas apartment fires fueled by strong winds on Wednesday are now under control.

Hundreds of firefighters fought the two blazes that displaced dozens of residents and injured one firefighter.

The two fires were located three miles from each other in the Lake Highlands neighborhood: one on Shady Brook Lane and the other on Timberleaf Drive.

Blaze Claim Nearly Vacant Condos

The first fire started in a nearly vacant condominium complex in the 9400 block of Timberleaf Drive in Dallas.

Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the fire call around 6 p.m. Wednesday to see large amounts of flames rolling from the roof of the building. Initially, the fire was reported as a three-alarm blaze, but by 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the crews called for a five-alarm response.

One firefighter suffered a minor burn and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He is expected to be OK. No residents were reported injured.

Embers of this fire were still burning more than 11 hours after crews contained it, according to NBC 5 reporter Josh Ault who was at the scene Thursday morning.

Smoke Displaces Shady Brook Residents

Shortly after the previous five-alarm condo fire, Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to another large fire.

The fire was reported at the Urbano Midtown Apartments in the 6800 block of Shady Brook Lane, near the intersection of Park Lane at about 8:30 p.m.

Fire crews called for five alarms because of heavy flames, size of the complex and the possibility that there might be dozens of residents to evacuate.

There are a total of 24 units in the building and an unknown number of residents were displaced as a result of the fire, according to Jason Evans with Dallas Fire-Rescue.

The residents were able to occupy vacant apartments in the complex. Red Cross volunteers assisted with food, clothing, grooming, and other essentials for the victims.

Investigators said the fire started in a first-floor bathroom and then spread vertically up the bathroom wall to the roof. The actual cause of the fire is still undetermined, however fire investigators believe it was accidental.

Winds Cause Significant Challenges

The spread of the fire was easily attributed to wind gusts that pushed flames from building to building.

Evans said the winds also carried embers that caused at least two reported grass fires near the blaze at Timberleaf Drive. Both of those fires were able to be quickly extinguished.

Additionally, fire crews at the Shady Brook location told NBC 5's Scott Gordon that the strong wind fueled the fire and caused it to spread to a surrounding building.

Other NBC 5 reporters and editors contributed to this story.

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