Officials: Cause of massive North Dallas condo fire undetermined

Dallas Fire officials said Tuesday the cause of a massive weekend condo fire in North Dallas is undetermined.

The 60-unit building has been deemed unsafe by Dallas Fire Rescue and none of the residents have been allowed back inside since the fire started late Friday.

A fire truck remained on scene as a precaution, but a lieutenant said as of Tuesday afternoon their part of the investigation is complete.

While the fate of the building remains in limbo, one resident got a little bit of good news. Linda Meyer spotted a family heirloom dating back to Sept. 1966 hanging in a giant, burned-out pile of memories. It was a portrait of the 79-year-old woman painted by her father when she was just 25.

“I sat for it at home, my husband was in Vietnam so I was home during that period,” Meyer said.

With help from the men of Truck 43, Lieutenant Christian Hinojosa was able to get Meyer her portrait.

 “It’s the only wall that was still up and this painting was still on it,” said Bob Cordes, Meyer's son-in-law.

Lt. Hinojosa said they were able to save the painting because it was located near the exterior of the building.

“It’s a special moment for us for our entire crew to be able to do that in a more personal way, than just putting water on a fire,” Hinojosa said.

Meyer might be the only resident to get something back from the burned building.

Once Dallas Fire Rescue turns control of the building back to property management, the homeowner’s association president said the board will hold an emergency meeting with residents to figure out what to do next.

The HOA president said based on severity of the damage it’s highly unlikely that anyone will ever set foot in the building again.