Fire destroyed apartments that were under construction in Rockwall County Tuesday morning.
Six multi-level units caught fire near the southwest corner of Interstate 30 and FM 551 in Fate around 5:30 a.m. The flames could be seen from miles away and quickly consumed the partially complete structures. At least one building collapsed.
Firefighters from several cities took a defensive position and used water cannons to try to protect nearby homes and businesses, including the FRESH by Brookshire's grocery store.
"We tried standing by that fence over there but the heat was so unbearable we couldn't stand close to it," said Duane Drost, who lives nearby. "We had embers flying. We tried to keep the grass wet, back of the house covered to make sure our houses didn't catch fire."