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29 HERE IN AUSTIN.
NATALIE, THANK YOU.
CONTINUING COVERAGE OF THAT
AMOUNT FIRE HAPPENING IN NORTH
AUSTIN ON COPPER CREEK DRIVE AT
THE INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCE
APARTMENTS.
FIREFIGHTERS WERE CALLED OUT AT
2:00 THIS MORNING.
WE CAN SHOW YOU THE MAP WHERE
THE FIRE IS STILL HAPPENING.
WE KNOW THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS
TRYING TO ACCOUNT FOR EVERYBODY.
THE SPOKESPERSON SAID IT IS VERY
DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE AN
APARTMENT FIRE OF THIS SIZE.
WITNESSES OUT THERE HELPED
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE THAT BLAZE,
AND WE'RE WATCHING VIDEO OF THAT
RIGHT NOW.
SOME OF THEM STILL IN THEIR
P.J.'S THIS MORNING AS THEY WERE
AWOKEN TO THE FIRE ALARMS.
ONE OF THE WITNESSES OUT THERE
JOINING US ON THE PHONE THIS
MORNING IS CRYSTAL.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
YES, I CAN.
THANK YOU, CRYSTAL, FOR
JOINING US.
FIRST, ARE YOU OK?
YES, WE ARE.
WHAT HAPPENED?
WELL, I WAS AWOKEN ABOUT TWO
ARE.
COMMOTION WAS GOING ON.
LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW, DIRECTLY
OUT MY WINDOW, SAW THE FIRE
BLAZING ON THE APARTMENTS RIGHT
IN FRONT OF US.
THE FIRE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRE
PEOPLE WEREN'T THERE YET.
JUST KIND OF PANICKED, AND, YOU
KNOW, I'M TRYING TO GET
EVERYTHING TOGETHER, MAKE SURE
THE KIDS WERE WOKEN UP, YOU
KNOW, EVERYONE WAS GETTING
STUFF.
PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE
OUT OF THE AMOUNTS.
WITH THIS WIND, IT QUICKLY
SPREAD.
THE FIRE STARTED MOVING OVER TO
THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEHIND US, AND
THEN TO THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY
RIGHT IN FRONT OF US CAUGHT ON
FIRE.
THE FIREMEN TRIED TO CONTAIN IT,
WASN'T DOING NOTHING WITH THIS
WIND.
THEY STARTED BREAKING DOORS DOWN
TO EVACUATE PEOPLE, MAKE SURE
THEY WERE WAKING UP.
THEY EVACUATED US.
I'M IN BUILDING 10.
IT WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US.
IT WAS A SURREAL MOMENT.
I'M GLAD TO YOU AND YOUR
FAMILY AND KIDS WERE ABLE TO GET
OUT SAFELY.
I CANNOT IMAGINE WAKING UP YOUR
KIDS TELLING NO THEM TO GET OUT
OF THE APARTMENT AS FAST AS YOU
CAN.
WHEN YOU WERE WALKING OUT, COULD
YOU FEEL THE FLAMES, COULD YOU
FEEL THE HEAT OF THE FIRE?
DEFINITELY.
THERE WAS SMOKE, FLAMES,
EVERYTHING.
I COULDN'T EVEN GET MY CAR.
I HAD TO GO AROUND THE OTHER WAY
IN ORDER TO GET MY VEHICLE,
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST JEN GULFED
IN SMOKE.
IS THIS A BIG APARTMENT
COMPLEX?
DO A LOT OF PEOPLE LIVE THERE?
YES.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS ONLY
ONE ENTRANCE IN AND OUT, SO WE
WERE BLOCKED FOR ABOUT 45
MINUTES.
THEY HAD TO ACTUALLY TEAR DOWN
THE FENCE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
BEHIND US IN ORDER TO GET US OUT
ON DALE STREET.
WHEN YOU'RE IN THE CAR,
YOU'RE WALKING AWAY AND YOU'RE
DRIVING AWAY FROM THIS FIRE,
WHAT DO YOU TELL YOUR KIDS, WHO
ARE WATCHING THE FLAMES BEHIND
THEM?
JUST THANK GOODNESS, WE ARE
LEAVING WITH OUR LIVES.
STUFF IS STUFF AND THE ONLY
THING THAT MATTERS IS OUR LIVES.
WE ARE THANKFUL THAT YOU CAN
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.
THANK YOU, CRYSTAL.
I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE SAFE.
WE KNOW FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL
WORKING OUT THERE TO GET THAT
FIRE UNDER CONTROL, BUT WHAT IT
LOOKS LIKE, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY
ARE DOING THAT.
THE WINDS, AS YOU SAID IT, ARE
REALLY GIVING THEM A PROBLEM.
WERE YOU ABLE TO EVACUATE TO A
NEARBY SHELTER OR TO ANOTHER
PLACE?
WE'RE ACTUALLY AT MCDONALD'S
WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER
RESIDENTS, JUST KIND OF TAKING
IT ALL IN, REALLY, YOU KNOW,
MOST PEOPLE LEFT WITH NOTHING,
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST KIND
OF SITTING HERE.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WITH YOU
FROM THAT APARTMENT COMPLEX, HOW
MANY WOULD YOU SAY?
ABOUT 15.
OK.
RESIDENTS.
OK.
WE WILL TALK TO YOU.
IF IT'S OK, WE CAN CALL YOU BACK
THROUGHOUT KIND OF THE MORNING.
WE'LL GIVE YOU UPDATES ABOUT THE
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS WE GO
INTO THE MORNING.
OK.
DID THE FIRE ALARMS GO OFF BY
THE WAY, THE SMOKE ALARMS IN