DALLAS — Like many who called the now-burned building in the Villa Vista apartment complex in Dallas home, Malcolm Nelson and his family woke up on Saturday morning to find a fire was quickly spreading.
“I opened the door and I got hit with a wave of smoke,” said Nelson.
When Dallas Fire Rescue got there, they found heavy fire coming from the third floor of the three-story building. Firefighters had to rescue a woman who was trapped on the second floor . It took hours to fully extinguish the fire. When it was over, 12 apartment units were destroyed.
Crews began demolishing part of the building on Saturday
A pile of rubble is all that’s left of at least a dozen families’ homes. Nelson’s family’s apartment is still standing but they weren’t allowed to re-enter because of significant smoke and burn damage.
“As of right now we really don’t have nowhere to go,” said Nelson.
His family was forced to split up on Saturday night. Some of his family members slept in a car while he and his kids stayed with relatives nearby.