At least 30 people are without a home after their apartment complex went up in smoke overnight. It took fire crews more than an hour to get the fast moving flames under control.
The fire began just after 12:30 a.m. at the Green Tree Apartments on Madison Road, between Stop 10 and Stop 11 Roads on Marion County’s south side. Residents reported seeing heavy flames and smoke from a utility closet on the building’s first floor. The flames spread quickly to up to the building’s roof.
Fire crews called a 2nd alarm, bringing in at least 80 firefighters to battle the blaze. They were hampered in their efforts by privately owned fire hydrants at the complex, which caused them initial problems beginning an aerial attack on the building’s roof, according to IFD Captain Rita Burris.
About 10 minutes after fire crews arrived, they heard a Mayday call from a firefighter who had become separated from his team while performing a search and rescue operation inside the smoke filled building. He was found about one minute later and wasn’t hurt.
Most of the people living in the apartment complex are Burmese immigrants, Burris said. Fire investigators initially had problems with a language barrier, before a translator was located.
Investigators have set damage estimates to the 12 unit complex at $550,000. They are focusing on that utility closet as a potential ignition point, but have not issued an official cause.
