'I grieve with them': Residents retrieve belongings following devastating Phoenix apartment fire
Residents of a north Phoenix apartment complex reclaimed their items Friday afternoon following a fire that demolished a one-story apartment complex and affected some units at a neighboring two-story complex.
"I felt like I was affected because I grew up with these people the last 14 years of my life... I grieve with them, and I sympathize," said apartment complex resident Cristian Barrera, whose unit was not affected by the fire, but shared concerns about displaced neighbors.
On Thursday night around 7 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department was dispatched to a third-alarm apartment fire near 12th Street and Cinnabar Avenue, according to Captain Evan Gammage, a spokesperson with the Phoenix Fire Department. At least one man suffered minor injuries, he said.
On Thursday night, Gammage estimated that "approximately 80 people" were displaced. However, by Friday afternoon, officials said only some units were destroyed in the fire. It was unclear how many units were completely uninhabitable due to fire damage as of Friday night.
"A fire started in the apartments next to us and spread over... to the backside, the roof of our complex here," Barrera said. "They deemed it an active scene until around 8:30 this morning."
Residents gathered Friday morning as the apartment's management team slowly allowed them to retrieve items from their homes.
Barrera's apartment was undamaged during the fire that broke out Thursday evening, but as a long-term resident, he thought of those displaced, neighbors he considers his friends.
He shared the conversation that transpired between a resident and an employee of the apartment's management team where the resident was "crying their heart out because they are not sure what they're gonna do."
The American Red Cross opened a shelter Thursday night for those displaced by the fire at the Deer Valley Community Center, which housed eight people who had lost their homes.
"The shelter will be operating again tonight if people are in need of it," according to Melody Birkett, director of communications for the Arizona-New Mexico branch of the American Red Cross.
"For the affected units, they said that they are unfortunately unable to salvage anything and will deem it a total loss," said Barrera, referring to what the apartment complex's management told him.
Residents from unaffected units were displaced overnight and will continue to be until the Phoenix Fire Department deems it safe to reside, according to Barrera.
Some unaffected units "didn't have fire smoke, but are connected to the same power source" as units that were damaged, according to Daniel Cheatham, a Battalion Chief at the Phoenix Fire Department.
The Phoenix Fire Department is "trying to restore power," said Cheatham.
The cause of the fire is undetermined, and the investigation was ongoing, the department said.
Reach breaking news reporter Ellie Willard at ellie.willard@gannett.com or on Twitter @EllieWillardAZ.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Residents retrieve items following north Phoenix apartment fire
