Nearly a dozen people were forced out of their homes Sunday night after fire ripped through their apartment building in Plano.
The fire has Plano Fire-Rescue warning everyone to be extra cautious while trying to stay warm in the coming days.
The fire at the Fox Trails apartments at 6300 Roundrock Trail was reported at 7:07 p.m.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the fire was started by a space heater.
The fire burned one unit on the first floor of the building.
Three other units received some damage, mostly due to smoke, according to Plano Fire Rescue Chief Mike Shafer.
Zelta Smith, her son and her small dog stood outside of their building watching as firefighters tended to hot spots.
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Smith never thought this is where they’d find themselves in the final hours of 2017.
“We were going to watch the ball drop and drink grape juice,” she said.
Instead, she’s holding her loved ones a bit closer after her apartment building caught fire.
“I smelled something and I said ‘Sean, something’s on fire,” she said.
Firefighters found a problem when they arrived to fight the flames.
“We had a hydrant issue,” said Shafer. “It had frozen, sometimes moisture will get in there when it’s cold like this and it freezes and so they couldn’t get it open.”
Shafer said crews had plenty of water in their tank to fight the flames and managed to contain the fire to the unit where the fire is believed to have started.
“The occupant thinks it might have been a space heater,” said Shafer. “It had been acting funny. He unplugged it. But we don’t know for sure yet.”
Ten people are believed to be displaced, according to the fire department.
Smith is ringing in the New Year with gratitude.
“It just makes me realize that life is really delicate and you got to take care of it,” she said.
A fire investigator will work to determine the exact cause of the fire.
When it comes to space heaters, Shafer has a message.
“People need to know to keep space heaters away from anything that’s combustible and don’t ever use generators if the power goes out,” he said. Don’t use any kerosene heaters or don’t use charcoal. Use UL certified space heaters.”
