BY STUART GRANT
On Sunday, May 19, 2013, Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue (DFR) firefighters reported to work in the various firehouses throughout the city. It was a typical Sunday with big breakfasts and a modified training schedule. Fire companies responded to the typical calls that included medical incidents, major accidents, automatic alarms, and a few reported minor structure fires. The weather was sunny and warm with the temperature in the 80s and a stiff breeze blowing from the south. After midnight, Dallas dispatch toned out an automatic fire alarm call that would escalate to six alarms and result in one firefighter fatality, four firefighter injuries, and the complete destruction of a condominium building. The firefighters who responded to this incident accomplished many good things during the early stages of the fire. The good transitioned to bad as the incident grew and escalated; ultimately, things turned ugly as firefighters were injured and Firefighter Stan Wilson lost his life.
The Hearthwood Condominiums, at 12363 Abrams Road in northeast Dallas, were completed in March 1979. Originally, nine buildings were built in three groups of three buildings each. Each group of three was positioned in the shape of a “T.” An enclosed atrium was part of the building, forming the upright of the “T,” and was connected with walkways to the other buildings that formed the crossbar of the “T.”
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