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Mesquite apartment fire forces families from homes
The American Red Cross spent the day helping 16 individuals and families whose apartments were destroyed in a large fire Wednesday.
MESQUITE, Texas - The American Red Cross spent the day helping 16 individuals and families whose apartments were destroyed in a large fire Wednesday.
The fire happened at The Place apartments in Mesquite near I-635 and I-30.
The Mesquite Fire Department is still working to figure out what started the fire.
Fortunately, nobody was injured.
"I actually thought it was occurring in the restaurant I work at across the street. That is how thick the smoke was," said Taylor Wallace, who lives at the apartments.
The smoke was thick when Wallace stepped outside the Red Lobster in Mesquite on Wednesday afternoon.
"I couldn't see past the intersection. We looked around and realized it was coming from where I live," said an emotional Wallace. "Fortunately, none of us were home, with the exception of my cat. We have not located it at this point. I don't think it is going to be possible, but we're all okay."
Wallace has two children, ages 8 and 4. They stayed with her mom and she hasn't told them about the fire yet.
She is most worried about her oldest daughter's reaction.
"She is really big into art, she's made all these puppets and that's all my closet was, essentially, all the puppets she has made. She can make them again, but that will be really hard for her. They had names, played with them every day, worked on them every day," Wallace recalled.
Wallace also learned yesterday that she doesn't have renters insurance.
"They sent out an email that the insurance we pay with our rent only covers property for the apartments, nothing to do with what it covers with us," she said.
Doyle Rader, the spokesman with the American Red Cross showed us the assistance center they set up at the Evan Recreation Center Wednesday.
"We are helping those families get the immediate assistance they need. That being either replacing medication or financial relief," Rader said. "About a dozen people have come in to seek the assistance we are providing."
A woman who did not want her face shown on camera talked to FOX 4.
"[Red Cross] are helping me through the time being. I do work, so whatever I lost, I will try to gain back," she said. "I can't explain how I feel on the inside."
She told FOX 4 her kids are keeping her strong.
Meanwhile, Wallace says the timing of the fire is brutal.
"I just got my house the way I wanted it, not how it looked, but just comfortability. My kids want to be home, they like their environment. It's going to be a thing to start over," she said.
Sharing Life and the Red Cross are both assisting those affected by the fire.
You can donate to the groups here: