Irving firefighters battle apartment fire in triple-digit heat

IRVING, Texas - Firefighters battled intense heat while trying to put out a fire at an apartment complex in Irving.

The fire on Friday became a three-alarm fire mostly to allow more firefighters to rotate in the heat.

The Irving fire marshal says it’s standard procedure in temperatures like this for extra units to come out. A total of 22 fire units responded to a fire at an apartment complex. 

Around 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon, a fire started at an apartment complex on North Beltline Road. 

Dyan Gregory watched from her window. 

"One fire truck after another one," she said. ‘They kept coming, and I was like ‘Oh my gosh!’" 

The Irving Fire Department says no one was inside the apartment when the fire started. 

Crews quickly evacuated the nearby units. 

Temperatures were over 100 degrees in Irving while crews battled the fire. It prompted an increased response. 

Irving Fire Marshal Derek Austin says in excessive heat like this, it is standard procedure to rotate firefighters more often. 

"We give them more time to recover outside and allow them more time to drink water," he said.

SKY 4 showed the additional manpower at the scene. 

Austin says a total of 22 units responded, and firefighters had the flames out 40 minutes after they first arrived.

 "It really comes down to what your body temperature is, which the average is 98.6 degrees. When the exterior temperature exceeds that, it becomes very difficult for a person to recover," he explained.

Austin says no firefighters or residents were injured. 

A total of six apartment units were impacted. 

Gregory knows a woman who lived in one of them. 

"I didn’t know there was this much damage," she said. "I hope that she’s completely ok. We’ll just have to follow through and make sure." 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.