Illegal fireworks destroy Dallas woman's home, investigators say
DALLAS - The Dallas Fire Department says illegal fireworks are to blame for a fire that destroyed a woman's townhome. She says she's thankful she made it out alive.
Carolette Barnes says she was getting her clothes ready for work the next day at around 10 p.m. on Independence Day evening when she noticed an odd sound.
"All of a sudden, I heard popping at the window. And I thought it was hailing, raining, hailing so fireworks would stop," she recalled. "I went back to what I was doing. It got louder and harder. Thought the window would break out."
That’s when she decided to open her curtains.
"I saw orange and red. And I thought, ‘My place is on fire,’" she said.
Featured
Mass shootings claim lives at gatherings over Fourth of July holiday
Mass shootings broke out at festivals, block parties and other gatherings in a handful of cities this week as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July.
As Barnes grabbed her clothes to head out the door, she says she repeatedly tried to get through to 911.
"The whole time I’m calling 911, I’m just getting a recording. That's all I’m getting," she said "I got a dress on, got to the door and said, ‘Someone call 911! My place is on fire.’"
Barnes showed FOX 4 her call log. On her first call at 9:59 p.m., she waited for 30 seconds. Then she tried again at 10 p.m. and 10:02 p.m. That time, she was on hold for two minutes and 36 seconds.
Fortunately, a neighbor had gotten through sooner at 10:01 p.m., about two minutes after her first call.
"I go to get in my car, and I realized I dropped my keys," she said. "I went back, but I could not go back inside."
Barnes says the fire spread fast.
"Looked like a picture of what hell looks like," she said.
The Dallas Police Department says it received 1,057 calls about illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July.
"I hope this would remind someone is it worth it to take that chance?" Barnes said.
Dallas fire investigators concluded that illegal fireworks were to blame for the fire.
The Red Cross is assisting Barnes and her neighbor, whose townhome was also impacted.
"All because of fireworks," she said.
FOX 4 is working to find out more about the wait times to get through to 911 on the Fourth of July. The city says we must submit an open records request for that information.
Fireworks are illegal in the city of Dallas.