Ambassador House Apartments
DALLAS - Dallas Fire-Rescue is now conducting an investigation to determine the factual events leading up to Sunday's deadly condo fire that killed 58-year-old Byron Forester.
Neighbors said firefighters left the scene too soon, leaving them to rush inside themselves to find their friend barely alive in his bathroom alongside what looked like a burned wall heater.
Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Lavender said the department wants to talk to those involved, including witnesses of the fire that happened at the Ambassador House Apartments in North Dallas.
Today, outside Forester's condo, someone placed roses on the doorstep. Neighbors said it's a painful reminder of what happened to their friend despite two separate calls to 911 they said were made to report smoke.
Next door neighbor Patricia Dickson told News 8 the neighbor who called 911 is the same one who alerted her too, urging her to get out of her home even before she smelled smoke. She said by the time she and her dog got outside, smoke was pouring out from Forester's condo.
Neighbors said they urged firefighters to check on Forester the first time they responded, knowing their friend was disabled. They said they even directed firefighters to his condo, but they wouldn't go inside and left.
Today, Dallas Fire-Rescue confirms there was a small fire burning inside Forester's condo when firefighters first arrived, and by the time they returned a second time, it was too late to save the man's life.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said the reason firefighters left the first time was because they couldn't find a source of smoke. They knocked on doors and reportedly got no answer. Dallas Fire-Rescue said because the only smell was that of burned food, they thought the odor had gotten into the vents and left.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined, as is the exact cause of Forester's death. Neighbors said he appeared burned and believe he spent his last moments putting out a fire from the wall heater.
Dallas Fire-Rescue is encouraging anyone who witnessed the fire to call their internal affairs line at 214-670-4312 or e-mail them at dallasfirerescue.com. Their investigation continues.
E-mail cvega@wfaa.com
