Lightning may have caused a fast moving apartment fire that injured two firefighters and destroyed 24 units in Irving on Saturday evening.
According to Irving Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Wilson, the first call about the fire came into emergency dispatch at 5:54 p.m. By the time firefighters arrived at the Eagle Crest Apartments at 3810 Esters Road, flames were shooting through the roof.
Two firefighters were injured. Their condition and names have not been released.
"One was injured from a fall," Assistant Chief Wilson said. "A second one was transported because of burns."
There are no reports of any residents getting hurt. A total of 41 firefighters responded to the fire.
Irving NAACP President Anthony Bond sent NBCDFW a picture of the flames coming out the roof of one apartment building. He has lived in at the complex since 1989. His unit was not affected but he saw a neighboring building go up in flames during a thunderstorm.
"And then all of the sudden, I heard this big thunderclap," Bond said. "I could tell it was a thunderclap but it actually sounded like a bomb!"
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The cause is under investigation. "I can tell you I do have unconfirmed reports of a lightning strike," Chief Wilson said. "The storm was coming through at the time of the call for the first alarm."
"I heard loud lightning," said resident Krystal Hargrave. "Then next thing I know everybody was knocking on my door and smoke came into my apartment."
Hargrave, who is pregnant, said she'll stay with relatives as she re-starts this part of her life.
"God got it under control and everything happens for a reason, that's the way I see it," she said.
The American Red Cross tells NBCDFW it is sending assistance to help residents who are displaced by the fire.
