3-Alarm Fire Breaks Out At Apartment Complex

A three-alarm fire broke out at Reafield Village Apartments, located on Reafield Drive near Pineville-Matthews Road, at about 10:30 a.m. Large flames and heavy smoke poured from the building as more than 60 firefighters rushed to extinguish it.

[ View Larger Map ]

Contractor Gary Palmer said he jumped into action as soon as he realized the building was on fire.

"(I was) banging on doors just to alert people that, ‘Hey, the building's on fire!' (and) to get them out, and then the ceiling collapsed," he said.

Palmer added: "There was a guy that was in the shower and we were banging on his door. We figured nobody was home and all of the sudden, he pops out and walks out. He had back surgery, apparently, so he was kind of slow-moving, but he made it out OK."

It took about two hours to put out the flames, firefighters said. They had to run 900 feet of hose to the nearest hydrant, but they were able to keep the flames from spreading to the entire building.

Resident Charlie Thacker was home when the fire started, but said he didn't know what was happening until he heard noises outside.

"It spread pretty quickly," he said. "It went from just a little to pretty much engulfing (one) side of the building in about 15 minutes."

VIDEO: Apartment Residents Lose Everything In Fire

Many residents said there was no time to gather their belongings, and several said they were left with only the clothes they were wearing. Still, they were thankful that no one was hurt.

"It could have been worse," resident Chris Morris said. "My roommate and the dog got out."

Eleven people were displaced by the fire, which caused an estimated $750,000 in damage. The Red Cross is assisting the affected residents.

Fire officials are unsure of what sparked the flames and where exactly the fire started.