North Texas News - Fire Breaks Out in Homeless Shelter – Claims Five Lives

2009-01-07 17:26:00 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Dallas, News)

A North Texas homeless shelter fire leaves at least five people dead.

Wired PR News.com – A fire broke out in a Paris, Texas homeless shelter early Monday morning and claimed the lives of at least five individuals. As reported by the Dallas Morning News, the fire began around 3 a.m. at the Seed Sowers Christians in Action men’s shelter. Firefighters were said to have spent over three hours trying to extinguish it.

The shelter contained 42 beds, and had 28 men staying there at the time. Roger Riemer, one of the men who witnessed the tragedy, is quoted in the Dallas Morning News report as stating, “There was quite a few people trying to get it out, but it didn’t work. It was just getting too hot. Smoke was billowing out of there so bad. There was nothing we could do.”

Foul play was not suspected by officials at the time of the report, however, a determination of the cause of the fire had yet to be made. Survivors have reportedly received some assistance from the nearby First United Methodist Church, but await word on when the shelter might be reopened.