Nearly 40 Durham residents have been left homeless after a fire sparked Saturday night in the city's Southpoint area.
At least 36 people have been displaced after an apartment fire hit the Southpoint Apartment in the 2000 block of Holly Hill Drive over the weekend. Fire crews who responded to the scene said they received calls about smoke rising from the attic of the building around 9 p.m. Saturday night.
Officials said a further inspection found that the source of the fire had traveled in the wall between apartments and upwards to the attic space. The officials also added that while the building had an active sprinkler system, the location of the fire made it ineffective.
A total of 33 fire personnel were required to locate to extinguish the blaze, per the Durham Fire Department, as quoted by ABC 11. Four apartments sustained fire damage, while eight others were damaged by water and smoke. No fire-related injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains unclear and is currently under investigation. The city's fire crews said the fire may have started around the building's furnace.
The apartment's management is working together with the Red Cross to assist residents who were displaced by the fire.
Chapel Hill Road Fire
Saturday's apartment fire came days after another blaze broke in a single-family residence in the 2300 block of Chapel Hill Road shortly after 3 a.m. on Nov. 8. The home was occupied by two adults and two cats at the time of the fire.
Both adults were able to leave the home safely. Firefighters who responded to the scene entered the home and found both cats. However, one died due to smoke inhalation. No firefighters were injured in the fire, per CBS 17. Both adults were displaced by the fire and are staying with friends.
The house sustained moderate smoke and fire damage. As of Sunday, fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
At least 33 firefighters were called to the scene. The Durham Fire Department was assisted by the Durham County EMS and Durham Police Department to put out the fire.
A firefighter extinguishes a fire in an apartment block in Johannesburg on August 31, 2023. More than 70 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on August 31, 2023, the South African city's emergency services said.
