Feb. 20--FORT WORTH -- Vystrom Tatum of Fort Worth woke early Sunday to the sounds of crackles and pops.
He looked outside and saw flames shooting from his neighbor's home in southeast Fort Worth. Barefoot, Tatum grabbed his cellphone, ran outside and called 911.
The blaze tore through the two-story home in the 1300 block of East Magnolia, killing one man and injuring three other people. Two escaped with no injuries.
Names of the victims were not released Sunday.
Firefighters arrived shortly before 5 a.m. and found heavy smoke and flames, said Lt. Tim Hardeman, a Fire Department spokesman. Firefighters rescued one man from a second-story window, and he was resuscitated before being taken to a hospital. A woman jumped from a window and suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.
Flames engulfed the home, and firefighters worked to control the fire from outside before they could enter. Inside they found a man's body.
Firefighters, called back to the scene about 10:45 a.m., found a seriously burned man who fled earlier with another man, Hardeman said. The two did not notify emergency personnel at the scene and did not receive medical attention in the six hours after the fire.
A Univision videographer persuaded the burned man to go to a hospital, Hardeman said. He was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Investigators had not determined what caused the blaze. Damage was estimated at $20,000.
Red tape cordoned off the beige home, which is near Hillside Park. Soot and ash filled the lower level, and the top story was charred and caved in.
Tatum, the neighbor, was assessing damage at his home. The blaze broke windows, destroyed his Toyota Camry in the driveway and melted his recycling bin.
Sarah Bahari,
817-390-7056
Twitter: @sarahbfw
Copyright 2012 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
