Apartment fire in North Austin leaves 60 people displaced | FOX 7 Austin

Apartment fire in North Austin leaves 60 people displaced

An apartment complex on Sam Rayburn Drive in North Austin sits heavily damaged after a fire broke out early Thursday morning. The fire caused about $2 million worth of damage and left 60 tenants now without a home.

The fire broke out just after 3 a.m. on Sam Rayburn Drive, in a neighborhood near I-35 and Highway 183.

AFD says three units were damaged by the fire and five units have smoke and water damage.

Longtime residents and friends Larry Caudillo and Jesus Castillo were found not far from the scene sitting on lawn chairs in the parking lot across from their destroyed home.

"I'm still sitting where I've been since 4 a.m.," said Larry Caudillo, a 14-year resident.

Castillo recounted what happened just hours prior.

"I was going to sleep then I heard all these people yelling all this stuff and all the smoke," said Castillo, an 8-year resident.

At that moment, Castillo says he knew he had to warn his neighbors.

"He came banging on my door. He came banging on my door, and I was like, ‘I just went to sleep.’ [He] told me, ‘hey, the place is on fire, get out’, so that's what I did," said Caudillo.

The fire broke up just after 3 a.m. at an apartment on Sam Rayburn Drive. (Austin Fire Department)

Caudillo says he does not know what would have happened if it was not for his friend’s quick thinking.

"That’s my buddy. Hell yeah, I was thankful. That's my dog," he said.

Castillo says he continued knocking on doors alerting people of the fire. He admits he did not think twice about it because he knew he had to help them just as they helped him every other day.

Caudillo even referred to this complex as a family. 

"I think we got a community here. I think most of us have been here for five or better years. We all know each other like, I know who stays upstairs and downstairs. We all know each other. We all look out for each other and that's what makes it a pretty tight community here," he said.

The two friends spent the morning laughing and joking with each other as they awaited help from the Red Cross. Caudillo says there was no need to worry because they have hope.

"Oh, yeah. Come on. There's always hope. We got to have hope, that's all we got. We've got to have hope," he said.

Austin Fire says this fire is still under investigation.

North AustinCrime and Public Safety