Burned popcorn triggers three-alarm response at Dallas retirement community

Burned popcorn caused quite an alarm this morning at Treemont Retirement Community near the Dallas North Tollway and LBJ Freeway. Just before 8 a.m., Dallas firefighters responded to a three-alarm blaze in the northwest wing of the 3-story complex, which houses about 215 residents. When they arrived, the rescue team found a small fire in a second-floor room where popcorn had been left too long in a microwave.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said firefighters quickly contained the small blaze. People were back in their rooms within a couple of hours of the fire.

Three residents were relocated to guest apartments in the complex while ash and soot were cleaned from their rooms.

The fire started in a resident’s room. She was later taken to Parkland hospital in stable condition. Evans said she may have been treated for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.

All the residents were evacuated and were being briefed by Treemont officials, according to Kara Stankovich, a staff member at the complex. Evans said firefighters were prepared for the worst and were able to put out the fire quickly.

“With the size of the complex, being three stories, 100 percent of the people being elderly … we were prepared for the worst,” said Evans. “When we initially respond to a fire, we imagine worst-case scenario.”

Stankovich said an immediate decision about what to do with those residents has not yet been made.
By Chris Dell in The Dallas Morning News
Report from WFAA News, Dallas