CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Fire Department is citing an ‘abnormal electrical event’ as the cause of an apartment fire over the weekend.
On Saturday, fire crews responded after light smoke was seen coming out of the apartments on the 100 block of Park Fairfax Drive.
As a result of the fire, seven families were left displaced, according to firefighters.
On Tuesday, fire officials tweeted that investigators determined a fire occurred between the walls of two apartments.
The fire was then classified as an “unspecified abnormal electrical event.”
Firefighters said the estimated property loss is $11,000.
‘Uninhabitable’
Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with one neighbor who said it wasn’t her smoke detector that woke her up, it was her neighbors. She’s now one of seven families who haven’t been able to return to their homes since Saturday’s fire.
“I hear my neighbor banging on the door, she was like, ‘Our apartment is on fire, you have to get out,’” she said. “I realized of all the things that I was hearing and smelling, the smoke detector was not one of them.”
Channel 9 has covered issues at this apartment complex for more than a year. Last year, it was cited multiple times for missing fire extinguishers -- video showed teens breaking glass and stealing them.
On Tuesday, a report for the latest inspection at the complex didn’t list missing fire extinguishers, but it did reveal the complex has had ongoing issues with exposed wires.
“Our homes are uninhabitable,” the neighbor told Channel 9.
She said they’re looking for answers from management.
“We’ve not really had any communication, no real apology, no information,” she said.
Channel 9 reached out to the property management but we haven’t heard back yet.
VIDEO: 7 families displaced from apartment fire in northwest Charlotte
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