Latest fire worries residents of a Dallas condo complex

The latest fire at a Far Northeast Dallas condominium complex has residents raising questions Tuesday about how the place is managed.

The Richland Trace Condominiums are on Walnut Street near Audelia Road. Felicia Flowers returned to her destroyed home Tuesday looking for anything she could save. She said the fire started small and she does not understand how it grew so big.

“We called 911. We tried to put it out. It didn’t go out. The firemen came in and we got out,” she said.

This time, firefighters did limit damage to half a dozen of the nearly 600 units in the 20-building complex.

Lolita Caperas, the owner of an adjacent condo unit, said she was alerted by someone pounding on her door around 5 a.m.

“By the time I got out of the bed, I see the smoke in my unit,” she said.

Windows were open Tuesday in the unit Caperas said she has owned for 20 years. She said Richland Trace used to be a great place.

“We had sprinklers on our lawn. They took care if there’s any issues, they address it,” she said.

Now, Caperas said many units in her building are still vacant since the 2021 freeze-damaged pipes.

Cristian Gandolfo, the current homeowners association president, declined to speak on TV. But he told NBC5 the HOA is working hard to improve Richland Terrace.  He said vacant unit repairs are tied up in an insurance dispute. 

Condo owner Tony Morales said lack of watering foundations around the complex is the reason for pipe problems.

“So, in the building shifting, pipes in the buildings are bursting, which are hitting the wiring systems. So, that’s the issue here,” Morales said.

News reports and Dallas Fire Rescue records indicate at least four other fires have occurred at Richland Trace in the past 10 years. 

In a December 2013 fire, 20 units were destroyed.  In February 2017, 50 residents were displaced. The cause was listed as undetermined. In January 2021 the cause of a 4-alarm fire was listed as accidental. Combustible were left too close to a heat source. A March 2021 fire was reported in the same structure as the January 2021 fire. Firefighters said the cause of that fire was incendiary, meaning that it was set by someone on purpose.

Gandolfo blamed past fires on tenant behavior, such as using ovens for heat and not problems with the buildings.

“And that’s the problem when you don’t have owners because owners take care of their property,” Caperas said.

Condo owner Julie Littlejohn said she recently purchased a unit for her son. She said was alarmed by the fire damage and vacant units she saw while visiting the complex Tuesday.

“I’m concerned. I wish they would fix them up. It could be a nice place,” Littlejohn said.

A cause of Tuesday’s fire was not available from firefighters.

A Dallas Code Enforcement spokesman said Richland Trace failed a May 26 inspection over problems with the exterior of properties and common areas.