Just before 3 p.m. Friday, April 11, Whitesboro and Collinsville Fire Departments were alerted to a structure fire at the Oakview Apartments in Whitesboro. Whitesboro Engine 251, which was returning from a previous call, was on scene in minutes and immediately asked for a second alarm for the fire, bringing in additional fire departments for mutual aid.
Engine 251’s crew of four firefighters observed heavy fire conditions on the apartment building’s second floor and began the initial fire attack on one of three burning apartments. Two more engines arrived from Whitesboro Fire and worked to establish a water supply from a hydrant as well as begin fire attack on another apartment. Collinsville firefighters arrived quickly and initiated searches in uninvolved apartments to make sure all occupants were out, and then quickly jumped into fighting the fire.
The incident commander requested a ladder truck to the scene and a third alarm to bring in additional manpower to help with firefighting efforts. Before the incident was over, 10 fire departments and almost 50 firefighters would be on scene to fight the fire.
“At this point, our biggest concern was keeping the fire from running through the attic and catching the entire roof on fire,” Lieutenant Josh Velten said. “Everyone was out of the building and our priority was extinguishing the fire while preventing as much fire extension as possible.”
Crews worked hard to keep that from happening by pulling ceilings to look for fire extension, cutting ventilation holes in the roof, and watering down hot spots found in the attic and ceilings.
Gainesville Fire Department’s ladder truck was on scene and allowed firefighters to get a good look at conditions from above to locate pockets of fire and allowed quick access to the roof for ventilation efforts. After about an hour, fire crews were pulled out of the building to rehab and take a break.
Whitesboro’s Public Safety Director, Jeff Patterson, was out of town at a conference, but was in constant contact with the incident commander and the Grayson County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which was focused on taking care of the tenants displaced by the fire at his request.
As fire crews returned to the building to begin overhaul and salvage operations, Grayson County OEM and the Red Cross arrived on scene and began to address needs for the tenants of the building who were displaced. The property manager, GM Rohmer Services, was able to find housing in other properties for all residents displaced by the fire. The Red Cross worked to fill the immediate needs of the tenants and firefighters began to escort residents into their apartments to grab important belongings.
Word spread quickly about the fire, and local social media quickly turned into discussions of what was needed and how to help. Minister Ryan Magnum and the North Union Street Church of Christ stepped up to organize relief efforts, and by Sunday morning had gathered enough donations to fulfill all the requests passed on to them.
Quick response and heroic efforts by the first responders on scene kept the fire damage relatively minimal when faced with the possibility of the entire building burning. Of the 16 apartments in the building, four had fire damage making them unsuitable for living. Several had water or smoke damage, and the ones furthest from the fire came out unscathed. Lieutenant Velten attributed that to the teamwork at the scene.
“We had a lot of firefighters here who spent hours out there working really hard to keep this fire at bay,” he said. “Lots of departments that have probably never been on scene together before, but they were able to cooperate and get it done.”
He went on to say that many agencies worked behind the scenes in support of the fire operations.
“Our city dispatch had a lot to keep up with, and they did great juggling all the information and requests coming to them. Our city police department and utilities were there right off the bat to do their part. Grayson County OEM and Fire Marshal, the Red Cross, even the WISD Police Department helped with traffic control. The contribution of all these agencies allowed the firefighters to focus on the fire.”
Chief Patterson said, “We plan for large-scale incidents like this, and those plans were carried out just as we expected they would. Calling for other departments to assist is preplanned so as the incident commander requests additional support, the dispatcher knows exactly what to do. I’m very proud of how our system and people operated during this large-scale fire.”
Fire departments on scene were Callisburg, Collinsville, Gainesville, Pottsboro, Sadler, Sherman, Sherwood Shores, Southmayd and Whitesboro. Pilot Point Fire Department stood by at Whitesboro Fire Department Station 1 during the incident to cover additional calls.
Support agencies involved included Whitesboro Dispatch, Whitesboro Police Department, Whitesboro Water Department, Whitesboro Electric Department, City Administrator Phil Harris, Whitesboro ISD Police Department, the American Red Cross, Grayson County Fire Marshal’s Office and Grayson County Office of Emergency Management.