One firefighter sustained minor injuries in a 4-alarm apartment fire in Lake Highlands Thursday.

At 8:30 p.m. Thursday my Northeast Dallas/northern Lake Highlands neighborhood is smoke-filled. Five or six helicopters are circling in the sky. Sirens are blaring. It’s been going on since at least 6 p.m. Again, there is an apartment complex fire in Lake Highlands.

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This time it is at the Stone Ranch apartments.

At 4:44 p.m. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a 911 call for a structure fire at the Stone Ranch Apartments, located at 9342 Skillman Street, in Northeast Dallas, notes spokesman Jason Evans. He continues:

When firefighters first arrived at the three-story apartment building, they could see a little smoke coming from the third floor. They mounted up for an offensive attack and made their way to the fire, but it quickly extended into the walls and attic space. As the fire escalated to a fourth alarm, command pulled everyone from inside the building and continued the fight from outside, where the flames were eventually knocked down with the use of ground lines and ladder pipes.

Investigators believe that the fire began in a unit on the third floor of the building. There were 20 occupied units (out of 24), from which 36 people were displaced. In addition, a second building was made uninhabitable due in part to some fire damage as well as lack of power. From that building 45 people were displaced from 22 occupied units (out of 24). However, the American Red Cross was notified to respond to their needs.

Thankfully, none of these residents were injured during the course of the fire; but there was one firefighter who sustained a minor injury after some ceiling debris fell on him while working the fire. He was taken to a local hospital in stable condition for further evaluation, but is expected to be okay.

Though investigators have targeted an area of origin, they have not yet determined an exact cause. Therefore, the cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation.

Below are the locations of several apartment fires that have occurred within the past year in the Lake Highlands area, beginning with the one last May that killed a Dallas firefighter, Stan Wilson, who also was a Lake Highlands High School graduate:

Jan. 23 — 9400 block of Timberleaf Drive

Dec. 18 — Park Lane at Ridgecrest 

Dec. 18 — Walnut at Audelia

May 20 — Walnut at Abrams

Thursday's apartment fire happened in the 6300 block of Skillman (purple). In red are the other fires in the past year.

Thursday’s apartment fire happened in the 6300 block of Skillman (purple). In red are the other major apartment-complex fires in the past year.