PHOENIX — Phoenix fire crews battled a large fire at an apartment complex early Wednesday morning that left dozens of people displaced.
Crews were first called to an apartment complex near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road around 3:30 a.m. for reports of a fire.
Video from the scene showed large flames and smoke coming from the top floor of one of the three-story residential buildings.
The call was upgraded to a first-alarm response by the fire department due to the size of the building, which experienced a partial roof collapse during the blaze.
ABC15 spoke with residents who had been evacuated, including two who said they opened the door to their apartment and saw flames were "coming right at them." They described the experience as "terrifying."
See aerial scene footage in the video player below:
There is no word yet on the extent of damage, but Phoenix Fire officials say about 20 units were affected. Crews say about 30 people are displaced, and they are being assisted by the Red Cross.
No injuries have been reported.
HISTORY OF VIOLATIONS
The ABC15 Investigators have found that the property owner has been cited for multiple fire code violations that date to 2024.
The violations include failures to provide required fire watch, failure to install or maintain fire systems, and multiple other issues.
In total, the owner has faced more than $31,000 in civil fines.
The Phoenix Fire Department tells ABC15 that fire officials have been to this complex before and have been engaged with the property for a couple of years.
An inspector with the Phoenix Fire Department was scheduled for a follow-up inspection on Thursday to see if the property was in compliance from past violations.
Phoenix fire officials say this is the third fire at the complex in the last five days, and a cause is still undetermined.
We are told that the property has been working to fix the fire deficiencies, and most of them have been resolved.
