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TOP STORIES
TuesdayFebruary92010



x49
4-alarm condominium complex fire displaces 75 residents
Updated: 7/19/2009 11:28 AM
By: Heidi Zhou

News 8 viewer Elayne Cook sent in these pictures of the early morning fire.  
Dozens of people evacuated Sunday morning from a North Austin condominium complex during a four-alarm fire.

The fire started at 6 a.m. at the Edge Creek Condominiums on Metric Boulevard near Cedar Bend. Fire crews are still on the scene.

There's been no word on whether anyone was hurt, but Austin Police Department officers at the scene said that all residents got out safely.

The four-alarm fire started at 6 a.m. Sunday morning.  
Some residents said they didn't hear any fire alarms and didn't wake up until police officers banged on their doors.

"It was pretty chaotic," resident Carlos Lozano said. "We were sound asleep. We really didn't hear anything, no fire trucks or anything. We were woken up to a bang on the door. It was the police telling us to get out."

Once the residents were outside, they couldn't believe what they saw.

"I got out of the building and looked up and there was a fire ball. It was just engulfed," Lozano said.

Like many of his fellow residents, Lozano evacuated his home in pajamas, with his pets in tow.

"Me and my wife are OK, but just, we've only been here six months—I bought the unit back in December," Lozano said. "So, you just hope and pray that they can contain it enough that you don't really loose a lot of things important to you."

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More Information
Four-Alarm Fire

News 8's Heidi Zhou was at the scene and tells us more about the situation for residents.



75 Displaced

Zhou tells us more about the Sunday morning fire that displaced 75 residents.



The Austin Fire Department said the fire mostly affected the top floor and attic of one building. Three floors collapsed on top of each other at the building's middle. Most of the damage was sustained by three condo units.

Fire did spread past those units, but damage was much less significant elsewhere. Firefighters said the building's design helped prevent the fire from spreading sideways.

"We require the apartments to have walls inside the attics so the fire can't travel from one end of the building to another. That really helped us today," Austin Fire Captain Andy Reardon said.

All of the complex's 48 condominium units were damaged by fire, smoke or water. Firefighters said none of the building's 48 units are habitable.

Officials said a few residents from the lesser damaged units may be able to return to retrieve necessities, such as medication.
The fire was contained, but all 48 units sustained some damage.  

The Austin Police Department's victim services and the Red Cross met with residents on the scene to help those displaced.

The Red Cross has to find temporary housing for about 75 people.

"It's a crisis for them. This happened first thing this morning, and this is something you normally wouldn't prepare for," Homer Johnson, of the Red Cross of Central Texas, said.

To help, you can donate by visiting the Red Cross of Central Texas. The Red Cross assists families affected by natural disasters and displaced by fires.



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