Firefighters in Irving battled a large 3-alarm fire fueled by strong winds that injured two people at an apartment complex Thursday morning.
The fire was reported at about 8 a.m. at the Woodchase and Clarendon Apartments on the 3800 block of North Belt Line Road.
Fire investigators said the fire was caused by discarded smoking material in a container on the balcony of a first floor residence on the south side of the building.
The fire was quickly escalated to three alarms, with smoke and flames being seen soaring from the roof of a two-story building. About 60 firefighters, with crews from Irving and Dallas, gained control of the fire after more than an hour.
There were two reported injuries to residents.
Fire officials said Thursday afternoon that 16 apartments were damage by the fire. Irving's Office of Emergency Management had a team at the scene helping those residents.