Firefighters worked to extinguish an apartment fire in Carlsbad Wednesday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The fire began around 4 p.m. at a three-story apartment building in the 2300 block of Hospital Way. Smoke and flames could be seen from the structure.
Officials initially said the fire was burning in the attic or roof area of the building, making it difficult to access. Additional crews were requested at the scene for the three-alarm fire as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
Crews were staging at a parking lot on El Camino Real.
Several residents -- including Jonathan Telles, who lives in the apartment building with his wife and four-month-old daughter – told NBC 7 they saw flames and smoke coming from the roof.
Telles said roofers were doing some work on the roof of the building with a blow torch when the fire began, although officials are still working to determine what sparked the blaze.
For Telles and his family, the fire was very frightening.
“We were inside and heard the fire alarm going off. We thought it was a fire drill at first, not the real deal,” he told NBC 7.
When he evacuated the building with his wife and baby girl, Telles said he could see black, billowing smoke everywhere.
“We knew it was pretty heavy stuff. You come outside, smell the smoke, [see your neighbors] grabbing their stuff. It was pretty scary,” he added.
Another resident, Chris Blackwell, said his mother Barbara Blackwell was babysitting his son when the fire broke out at the complex. She called him and he rushed home from work.
Blackwell told NBC 7 he was relieved that his family and neighbors made it out of the building unharmed.
“At least everybody got out safe, that’s the important thing,” Blackwell told NBC 7.
The fire was contained some time later. No injuries were reported.
The cause remains under investigation. Details about the damages caused by the fire were not immediately available.
