A body was found two days after a Sunday morning fire at a Whitehurst Drive apartment building, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials say.
Photo courtesy of Box 4 Firebuffs
Dallas Fire-Rescue officials say the family of a resident, who lived alone in the 36-unit building at 9931 Whitehurst Drive, requested a welfare check after they were unable to make contact with the individual. On Dec. 31, a body was found in an “area of heavy debris,” according to DFR spokesman Jason Evans. The individual has been identified by the Dallas Morning News as 77-year-old Keith Estes.
A missing persons report had not been filed for Estes, according to Evans.
As reported in previous Advocate coverage, units arrived on the scene around 1:50 a.m. and were met with heavy fire. After leading search and rescue efforts that resulted in five individuals being rescued from second and third-story units, firefighters moved their efforts to extinguishing flames on the exterior of the building when it was deemed unstable, hampering further search attempts, according to Evans.
At 4:35 p.m, the fire was declared extinguished.
In the aftermath of the fire, the American Red Cross assisted 20 residents. Two individuals were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Evans.
All 36 units were left uninhabitable, according to DFR.
As reported by the Dallas Morning News, the fire began after combustibles were left close to a heat source on the first floor of the three-story building.
