CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A fire broke out at the Birchcroft apartments in east Charlotte around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
No one was injured in the fire. Six apartments were damaged, and seven others have no water or power.
Fire investigators said a candle left burning in a top floor apartment started the fire.
The smell of smoke and shouts of neighbors woke up people who live in the complex.
“I ran out of here and watched the fire,” Moe Kyaw said. “(It was) very big.”
It took 57 firefighters about 30 minutes to knock the fire down. Officials estimate it caused about $225,000 in damage.
Thirteen families need help now. The Red Cross is finding some of them shelter, and others are making plans to stay with family.
As the sun came up, one woman was able to go back inside her apartment.
“Everything is collapsed down,” she said.
The complex is coming together to help those affected by the fire.
Stephen Jackson, who plays for the Charlotte Eagles soccer team, said he and some of his teammates moved there two years ago.
“This is something that happens, but the Lord is watching over this neighborhood,” Jackson said.
WSOC
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