Just before 12:30am this morning, a young man awoke to the sound of a high-pitched, insistent smoke alarm and the smell of smoke. As he investigated, he was met by flames on the second story of his apartment. He immediately evacuated his two younger brothers and 9-1-1 was called. Residents nearby also fled their apartments.

When firefighters arrived, flames were coming out of second story windows on the back side of the apartment. They immediately began to fight the fire from inside and perform a search. While most of the fire on the second floor was put out quickly, it had spread into the attic where it traveled to the space above the adjacent apartment.

After pulling ceiling and spraying water into the attic, the stubborn fire continued to rage until it breached the roof. Neighbors at a distance watched flames burn high into the air. After 35 minutes of arduous work inside the apartment and on the roof, firefighters extinguished the fire. Both apartments sustained fire, smoke and water damage.

The young man who discovered the fire was treated for smoke inhalation by Paramedics from American Medical Response. He was monitored on scene, but chose not to go to the hospital. Five people were displaced and an investigator remains on site. He will evaluate burn patterns and material evidence to determine how the fire started. No damage estimates are available at this time.