Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
IRVING, Texas — More than a dozen people are displaced after an apartment building in Irving caught fire overnight on Wednesday after 11 p.m. Miraculously, the fire department says no one was hurt. Residents at the complex are thanking a mother and son who first spotted the fire and woke residents up to save their lives.
"So, we were just blessed to be here at that time to get everybody out," Teresa Hernandez told CBS News Texas. Hernandez and her son, Isaac Barrientos, say they were in the right place at the right time after they spotted a large fire Wednesday evening at the Calloway Apartments at Las Colinas off Parkridge Boulevard in Irving.
"At the same time, I'm yelling, 'Fire, fire!' and 'Get out, everybody get out!'" Hernandez described.
The mother-son duo work for Valet Living, a company that picks up trash on the property. They said they were doing their last drive-through and were about to leave the complex when they saw flames from the second-floor balcony of one of the buildings. They immediately started running door to door to wake everyone up.
"One lady afterwards came out and told me she heard me from the next building. She said she has a 2-month-old, and her apartment caught on fire. She said I saved her," Hernandez recalled.
'The most painful feeling'
"I remember I was banging hard — and when you know there's people in there, that's the most painful feeling that you can feel — because you can't walk away until they answer," said Barrientos.
The Irving Fire Department is still working on figuring out the cause of the fire but says at least 16 residents have been affected. Investigators also say four units were severely damaged, and four other units were deemed a total loss. On Thursday, residents were seen recovering and moving the few belongings they had left. The Red Cross says it's assisting the victims.
"Our long-term care caseworkers are going to connect with them to get them additional resources. We plan to give them everything they need so that they can, you know, start rebuilding their lives," said Doyle Rader with the American Red Cross North Texas. Rader also said the Red Cross has seen an uptick in apartment fires across North Texas this week and that the cooler weather could have an impact.
"That's something we do see — not just here in North Texas — but nationally when the temperatures drop. We see an uptick in home fires because people are sometimes trying to find creative ways of heating their home. It's something that can affect all of us when we're not using proper care to heat our homes," Rader said.
Hernandez and her son say they spotted another fire two weeks ago at the same complex and were able to alert and save that family as well. The two say they are just thankful no one was hurt. "I was very emotional this morning and when I just saw the news, it gave me peace of mind — just knowing that nobody's life was lost," Hernandez said.
