Tuesday, January 11, 2005 12:28 PM

By MICHAEL REY / WFAA-TV

Dallas, TX - A Dallas family is devastated after a mother and two children died in an apartment fire early Sunday morning.

Safety systems worked as they were supposed to, but in this special case they were not enough.

Sephra Burks, who is deaf-mute, died huddled together with her three-year-old son and ten-month-old daughter after the fire spread to the upstairs rooms of their unit at the Colonia Tepeyac Apartments in the 5800 block of Bernal Avenue near Loop 12. Burks' husband Tyrus, also hearing-impaired, escaped along with two other sons.

"I woke up to a lot of screaming and banging, and then I heard somebody throw something out the window," said neighbor Estella Garcia. "But the mother, she couldn't hear no talk at all."

Firefighters heard the smoke detector working. However, the parents likely were not able to hear the smoke detector, which officials said was probably a factor that contributed to the death of the children and the mom.

"The family often relied on their dog to hear for them," Garcia said. "The dog would tug on her telling her someone was at the door or whatever."

The dog also died in the fire.

Tyrus Banks and tearful supporters returned to his family's burned-out apartment Sunday afternoon. The three fatalities are a tough loss for Dallas Fire-Rescue as well.

"We made it through Christmas, we made it through New Year's, and now we have three fire fatalities," said Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Jesse Garcia. "It really is a blow."

Estella Garcia would often babysit the kids who lived next door. Now, Garcia and families in six other units will have to find somewhere else to live.

Copyright 2005 WFAA-TV