East Charlotte apartment fire leaves 8 units heavily damaged

CHARLOTTE — Dozens of firefighters put out a large apartment fire in east Charlotte early Thursday morning.

It happened around 3:20 a.m. along Delta Crossing Lane, off East W.T. Harris Boulevard.

Firefighters said they arrived to find heavy fire showing form the two-story apartment building. At one point, a second alarm was called, and firefighters had to call for backup because the flames got so intense.

A neighbor told Channel 9 he tried to extinguish the fire with water, but it was too big.

He rushed back to get his mother out of the apartment from the second-floor balcony.

“We jumped out the back,” he said. “I helped her down with the dog. It’s just crazy, for real.”

East Charlotte apartment fire leaves 8 units heavily damaged (CFD)

Resident Edmond Ratcliffe described the scene.

“When we came out, you could literally see the flames from the front to the back of the building, and the middle, and all the smoke,” Ratcliffe said.

Charlotte Fire said it took 60 firefighters about 51 minutes to control the blaze.

East W.T. Harris Boulevard was shut down near the Delta Crossing apartments as officials continued their investigation. The road has since reopened.

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SkyDrone 9 captured images of the response and the heavy damage left behind.

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During their response, firefighters rescued two people and one pet. One person was treated on scene, and another was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to MEDIC. No firefighters were hurt.

Charlotte Fire’s Drew Lazarus talked about the rescues.

“One was a jumper from the second floor,” Lazarus said. “That patient was treated and released by MEDIC on scene. The second was rescued from inside the structure and transported to an area patient as a Priority 1 patient.”

In total, eight apartment units were affected by the fire. The American Red Cross is working to assist the displaced residents.

The investigation into the cause remains active, but firefighters said they found no evidence of a crime. They determined the fire started on the outside of the building, near an entryway.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.