Posted 9:07 pm Sunday, July 20, 2008
Families Return To Only Rubble After Friday Fire At Apartments
Nothing is left of a building that more than a dozen Tyler residents once called home. Ashes, siding and debris that were once memories are all that remain of a 16-unit apartment building on State Highway 31 East.
The blaze started around 10:45 a.m. Friday, and fire trucks were still putting out hot spots at noon. The entire roof of the Unit 1 apartment building had collapsed, as well as parts of the northern and southern facing walls.
Now, dozens of residents are homeless.
The building, which firefighters described as a “total loss,” was reduced to a shell.
The building, which firefighters described as a “total loss,” was reduced to a shell.
Investigators said it started when an 8-year-old struck a lighter and accidentally set some bedding on fire in a second-story apartment.
Residents of the Oxford Pointe Apartments returned to Saturday to look through the rubble which at one time was their home — there was nothing left.
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Oxford Pointe Apartment managers moved some families into nearby apartments, while many residents went to stay with family. Others have moved into hotels, waiting on assistance from the Red Cross.
Anyone wishing to help the families of the apartment complex fire can contact the Smith County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
