
Roof Collapses In Morning Fire at Former Amarillo Apartment Complex
In the early morning of January 9th at around 5:45, Amarillo Fire Department responded to a fire at an abandoned apartment complex on 209 N. Madison Street where homeless people were staying.
According to responders on the scene, several homeless individuals had been spotted fleeing the burning building.
Firefighters started with an attack line, while a rescue unit searched the abandoned complex to find multiple units with homeless individuals still asleep inside. They were immediately evacuated into safety.
After enough structural damage was sustained to the building due to damage from the fire, the roof collapsed. Firefighters responded to this by attempting to isolate the fire and prevent any further damage from a distance. Once the fires were out, the scene was checked over for any further possible fires.
Thankfully no injuries have been reported.
The incident is under current investigation. According to the Amarillo Fire Department, this spot is a known residence for homeless individuals and they have had to respond to fires at this same spot in the past.
With weather conditions as harsh as they are, it's only natural that Amarillo's homeless population will flock to locations such as these. Although no one has been hurt as of yet due to incidents such as these, the potential for lost lives and destroyed property in incidents such as this should be a concern for city leaders.
Just last December a local tire shop was destroyed in a fire that had been accidentally caused by a homeless woman seeking a warm shelter.
Thankfully projects such as Transformation Park, which attempt to provide shelter and food to homeless individuals have received traction and funding recently and can help in mitigating this issue.
Hopefully, the root causes behind homelessness in our town can be solved to some extent by our city leaders in the new year.
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