Residents of a Spring Valley apartment complex woke up Sunday morning to a spreading fire that destroyed several apartments and damaged many others.
"I was sleeping because it was my day off. Someone started banging on the door saying 'get out there's a fire' and so I jumped up and ran out. I'm so glad somebody did that", said Antonette Payne who has lived in her apartment for two and a half years.
Neighbors woke up and went door-to-door, alerting residents when the fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. Sunday at the complex along Jamacha Boulevard, near Trace Road.
San Miguel Fire and Rescue reported the fire was extinguished in about 25 minutes.
Three units were destroyed and about 12 neighboring units will not be inhabitable in the near future due to damage, they added. Payne's apartment was one of the heavily damaged units.
"With how windy it was, it could have jumped," said one neighbor Jennifer O'Keefe.
The American Red Cross were on the scene to help displaced families find a place to stay.
Local
Fire investigators have not determined where the fire started but based on the cell phone video, it may have started in a bottom unit and moved up to the roof, fueled by winds.
No one was injured but one dog required CPR after suffering from smoke inhalation. Firefighters went through two oxygen masks, but finally got the dog breathing again.
Another neighbor received many scratch marks after wrangling cats from under a bed.
Added Payne, "Our little village came together."
No other information was available.
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