Neighbors Mourn Woman Killed in Garland Fire

Neighbors in Garland are picking up the pieces after a devastating fire that left one woman dead. Half a dozen people lost their homes in the fire Sunday.

It happened at a town home community on in the 800 block of Pebble Beach Drive at about 2:30 p.m.

Firefighters said they discovered the bodies of the woman and her pet on the first floor of the town house.

Neighbors say Kathy Cole lived inside the town home where investigators found a woman's body.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office still hasn't confirmed the victim's identity.

On Monday, friends and neighbors came by to leave flowers in front of Cole's charred home.

"This is one of those that's going to take a long time to get over if ever," said Cole's long-time friend David Menzdorf.

"Absolutely heartbreaking, and when you get to my age, you're in the winter of your life  and you just hate to see tragedies happen and this is a big tragedy for our little neighborhood," said Ruby Grubbs who lives a few doors down.

Neighbors said it spread quickly to adjoining houses. Some ran out of their homes and tried to put the fire out with garden hoses before the fire department arrived.

"When I saw the flames, they were above my head and the window were just exploding," said neighbor Gil Moore. "There was nothing I could do."

A firefighter suffered minor injuries battling the fire.

Garland Fire Capt. Merrill Balanciere said additional fire crews were called to the scene because of the near 100-degree heat on Sunday.

The Garland Fire Department worked well into Sunday evening trying to determine the cause of the fire. So far investigators said the fire was unintentional.

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