Rowlett's fire chief said crews battled an "intense" fire through Friday night and are expected to stay on the scene at Sapphire Bay's The View Apartments for the next 48-72 hours.
“We’re going to be monitoring hotspots so that we can keep this fire from going any further than it has," said Chief Neil Howard.
He said they first arrived on-scene around 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
“The good thing is this project’s not occupied yet, the bad thing is it’s not occupied, yet," he said.
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No residents meant no one was hurt, but it also meant the fire got a head start on them, he said.
"Because there was nobody here to notice the fire until motorists alerted us that there was an incident," Howard explained.
He thinks the fire may have started in the attic, but said they won't be able to start their investigation until every flame flickers out, and the building is deemed safe to enter for investigators.
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Howard said the building was close to occupancy.
“We were going through the testing mode of the sprinkler systems and things like that to release the building for the owners to occupy," he said.
Howard said there are residents in the homes near the apartment building, but no one had to be evacuated.
“Crews have done a tremendous job of stopping it where its at and saving a lot of the building," he said.
Marc English, president of Sapphire Bay Land Development, said the building was being developed by Zale Properties, Inc., out of Dallas.
English said he believed the target move-in date for residents was mid-January, and he's not sure how far back this fire will push the timeline.
He said the incident "will not slow down other vertical construction projects already underway, or soon scheduled to be, at the Sapphire Bay Resort project."
According to the City of Rowlett's website, Sapphire Bay is a $1 billion mixed-use development that sits off Lake Ray Hubbard.
In the shadow of smoke, neighbors gathered at nearby Sapphire Bay Marina for the annual “Sails and Yachts for Toys for Tots” event, a holiday boat parade.
Kimberly Niezgoda worked at the marina and was participating in the parade.
She lives nearby in Rockwall and said she saw the fire Friday night.
“When I got to work this morning, it was still smoking, and there was still fire," she said. “The smoke was kind of crazy, it was... hovering over the lake this morning.”
She said it was fortunate that no one was hurt and wondered when residents could move in.
“I’m sure a lot of people are really devastated by what’s happened and just thankful there was no one living there and that there’s nobody hurt," said Michael Hall, general manager of the marina.
He said they considered moving the event, but the community wanted to continue for a good cause.
“There’s always friendly competition out here, but most of it’s about collecting toys for Toys for Tots," Hall said.
According to the city's website, the marina is separately owned and operated.
Sapphire Bay's website lists Sapphire Bay Marina as the only full-service marina with access to the Sapphire Bay development.
Hall was also grateful for the first responders, who fought the fire nonstop.
Chief Howard said six to eight other fire departments have been helping his crews, including Garland, Mesquite, Sachse, Richardson, Plano, Rockwall, Dallas, and Dallas County.
He said crews are rotating every two to three hours as they get cold and wet.
"It's a pretty big undertaking, a fire like this," he said.
