Just after 6:30 p.m. on December 30, firefighters responded to a fire in the StoneRidge at Cornell apartments at 14800 SW Cornell Road. Initial callers reported fire coming from a wall and promptly evacuated. First-arriving firefighters from TVF&R's Oak Hills station performed the initial fire attack and discovered that the fire had breached the wall, extended to a back deck and threatened to spread into the attic space.

Additional firefighters worked to search affected apartments, evacuate residents and extinguish the fire which ultimately damaged three apartments in the ten-unit building. At one point firefighters had to exit an apartment where the floor had partially collapsed. It's unclear exactly how many residents are displaced, but none of the tenants will be able to return to their homes this evening. The American Red Cross is assisting one family. No people were hurt as a result of the fire, but three dogs perished.

The apartments had working smoke alarms, but did not have a fire sprinkler system. When a fire sprinkler system is present, the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced.