LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas — In the wake of a deadly fire at the Northgate Apartment complex in Lacy Lakeview on the night of Sunday, July 16, the conditions of the building and the events that occurred before the fire are being questioned.
6 News made an open records request for the Lacy Lakeview 911 calls made the evening and night of the fire.
Here is a list of details we found:
10:24 - Lacy Lakeview Police received a suspicious persons call near Northgate Apartments
10:29 - The person was detained and issued a criminal trespassing warning
11:48 - The first 911 call was made warning of a fire at the Northgate Apartments
Dispatch records say callers were jumping out of their windows
People called saying they were suffering from injuries and burns
One person called saying they found someone dead near apartment six
6 News looked into the condition of the apartment building to learn if it was properly equipped for a fire. According to some tenants, no smoke detectors were ever heard as the fire continued to burn.
"We didn't have a fire alarm, smoke detectors or nothing," Former tenant John Norris explained. "There was a fire extinguisher in the hallway, but by the time my mom tried to open the door the flames are already there and that's how she got burnt."
A current tenant, David Holder, and his family escaped the fire within seconds of their unit collapsing. Holder says they would not have made it out without the neighbors knocking on their door.
"There was no smoke detector installed in our unit," Holder said. "There was nothing to go off to warn us that this had happened."
To determine if the building was up to code, 6 News submitted an open records request to the Lacy Lakeview Code Enforcement Department, requesting records of the Northgate apartments over the last two years.
Records also show that Matthews Real Estate Investment Services put the Northgate Apartments up for sale.
6 News called to ask the company about the building's inspection history and if one was done recently because of a possible sale. Matthews said they had no comment.
Law enforcement expert Charles Kimble said the next steps in the investigation are to examine what is left of the building and talk to anyone who may have seen anything.
"How the building stands and all the clues that the building, the apartment complex, gives is very important," Kimble explained. "The building itself becomes evidence. It becomes a crime scene if it's a criminal act."
The Texas State Fire Marshal and Lacy Lakeview Fire Department are currently investigating the origin of the fire in order to discover the cause.
Fire Chief Cody Newman told 6 News sometimes fires of this magnitude stay undetermined forever.