A North Dallas woman says she's left with thousands of dollars in damage after firefighters mistakenly broke down her front door — and the city won't pay for it.

The homeowner, who asked to be identified only as Debby, said she was startled when Dallas Fire-Rescue kicked in her double doors earlier this year. She hadn't called for help.

"They kicked the door in, and a construction guy tried to repair it the best he could so I would be safe," Debby said.

She said firefighters quickly realized they were at the wrong address.

"I said, 'What address were you directed to? It was my address. And then they came in and they knew that everything was okay," she said.

An incident report later revealed the emergency call was actually for a patient at Tremont Nursing Facility, located just behind Debby's home.

A spokesman for the City of Dallas said officials are reviewing the report and will respond once more information is available.  

Homeowner left with $4,100 bill

Meanwhile, Debby said the firefighters were kind and apologetic, and assured her the city would help fix the damage. But when she followed up, she was told otherwise.

"The lady returned my phone call, and she said, 'No, ma'am, that's the firemen's responsibility.' And I said, 'But they were dispatched to my home.' And she goes, 'No, ma'am,'" Debby recalled.

She filled out all the required paperwork, but received a letter stating her claim was denied under the Texas Tort Claims Act.

"The city of Dallas regrets to inform you that your claim has been denied," the letter read, according to Debby.

Legal expert calls it a 'runaround'

Attorney Jeremy Rosenthal, who was not involved in the case, said the law doesn't always make sense.

"The city can still take responsibility for this," Rosenthal said. "Just because they can try to hide behind the Texas Tort Claims Act here doesn't mean that that's the right thing to do. This is the very definition of a runaround."

Debby said she was advised that suing the city would likely cost more than replacing the doors. The estimate for the damage: $4,100.

"You can't repair them. They have to be replaced," she said. "I'm single, retired, and on a fixed income. That's a lot."

The incident happened in March, and Debby said she's held off on repairs, hoping the city would reconsider.

"It just doesn't feel right in my heart that they can just say no," she said.

CBS News Texas has reached out to the City of Dallas for comment.