Big Fire In North Austin Engulfs 3-Story Duplex

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Firefighters battled a big fire in North Austin that engulfed a three-level duplex on Saturday night.

Austin Fire Department officials tweeted video of the conflagration along the 5600 block of Highland Crest near Farm-to-Market Road 2222 just before 10 p.m. that vividly showed the magnitude of the blaze. Reports from fire crews indicate the roof of the structure had partially collapsed given the fire's ferocity.

By around 10:15 p.m., fire officials said the fire had been extinguished but continued to burn. The location of the fire along a hillside strategically worked against firefighters trying to access the structure, officials said, and a clay tile roof with a fully engulfed attic only exacerbated the danger posed by the heavily burned building.

Fire officials said residents of the duplex had all been accounted for. But it's too early to tell what may have caused the fire to ignite. Patch will update when more details are known.