Woman arrested for Fort Worth Christmas Eve apartment fire that killed 2
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police said a fire at an apartment complex on Christmas Eve was set intentionally.
Kristen Lewis, 35, is in custody and facing capital murder and arson charges for the fire that left two people dead and dozens without a home during the holidays.
One of the victims, 47-year-old Dwight Durham, leaves behind five children.
FOX 4 spoke with the mother of three of his children. She said the family is heartbroken and it was a Christmas they will never forget.
"He was a fun, full of life kind of guy," Deshanna Dukes said.
Dukes remembered Durham, who everyone called Shawn.
"I was in the process of helping him get into a shelter and I was trying to help him get back on his feet," she said.
Dukes said Durham was experiencing homelessness.
The Fort Worth Fire Department said Durham and four other people were living inside a vacant unit at the Tides at Meadowbrook Apartment Complex on King George Drive in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth apartment fire kills 2 on Christmas Eve
One woman was killed and dozens of people were forced out of their homes because of a Christmas Eve fire at an apartment complex in Fort Worth.
On Christmas Eve, an altercation happened between the group, and fire investigators said Lewis intentionally started a fire.
"She didn’t tell anybody that she did that, and she kind of escaped and got out of it," Fort Worth FD PIO Craig Trojacek said.
One person made it out the front door, another jumped from a third story window, and firefighters rescued Durham and 28-year-old Galisha Gaston.
The two were taken to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
Dukes said the two were in a relationship.
"That’s just devastating for two families to lose a loved one on Christmas," she said.
The fire impacted 16 units, and about 25 people were displaced for Christmas.
"They have all these different belongings, getting ready to celebrate, and then you have someone who comes along and does an act like this and everybody loses everything overnight," Trojacek said.
Lewis was arrested and charged with arson and capital murder.
Fort Worth Christmas Eve apartment fire that killed 2 intentionally set, authorities say; suspect arrested
An apartment fire on Christmas Eve in Fort Worth that killed two people and displaced dozens was intentionally set, arson investigators determined.
The Fort Worth Fire Department didn't share if an accelerant was used or where the fire started inside the apartment.
Meanwhile, Durham’s five children are still processing the loss.
"My daughter is very devastated about this. She’s very heartbroken. She doesn’t understand why. She doesn’t understand that he’s not coming back," Dukes said.
But he’ll always be with them.
"When he left, he left a mark on them," she added.
Durham’s cousin said while he was unhoused, he was not unhomed, and he was loved by his family.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call the Fort Worth Police Department.
Lewis is currently being held at the Tarrant County corrections center on $1 million bond.