A major fire erupted late Sunday at an apartment complex in Brownsville.
Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett Sheldon told The Brownsville Herald that about 8-10 units at Lakeside Apartments were “heavily damaged by the fire.”
“The fire is under control now,” Sheldon said at 8 p.m.
The blaze started in the late afternoon, sometime before 5 p.m.
“The fire spread pretty quickly today with the high winds,” Sheldon said. “And it was a common attic.
“It was a big challenge for the firefighters today.”
Between 40 to 50 firefighters from Brownsville and Los Fresnos worked to contain the fire, which spread quickly in the high winds
“(The fire) is under investigation,” Sheldon said. “We do have the fire marshal here right now.”
The fire marshal arrived shortly before 8 p.m.
According to a witness at the scene, nine firetrucks and one ambulance could be spotted from a distance away from Lakeside Apartments, a complex of approximately 50 units at 600 Lakeside Blvd., not far from Central Boulevard near Russell Elementary.
The fire appeared to have affected a section of apartments at the back of the complex, which is laid out in a circle of separate apartment structures.
Firefighters worked for hours to battle the fire, which billowed heavy clouds of smoke into surrounding areas. As firefighters worked, residents were attempting to get their vehicles off the premises.
Access to the apartment was blocked off, as was traffic near the complex from Russell Drive to Madison Street.
However, some onlookers had gathered nearby and motorists had parked nearby to watch.
Sheldon said crews would remain on site throughout the night, to monitor the fire and any hotspots.
“We are also working on checking with the families to make sure they have a place to go for the evening,” Sheldon said, adding that they had not yet determined how many residents and families had been affected by the fire.
No one was reported injured nor to have suffered from smoke inhalation, Sheldon said.
“Everybody has been accounted for,” the chief said.
Residents were allowed to return to unaffected sections of the apartment complex, which were separated by the burning section by 100 to 200 feet, Sheldon estimated.
“Right now, we are letting them back in,” Sheldon said.
One or two units in the affected section might have been saved, though damaged by water, Sheldon said. No one will be allowed to return even after the fire is fully extinguished.
“Not until we get the integrity of the structure checked,” he said.
