It happened at 124 Fidelity St., Carrboro Fire-Rescue officials said.
Crews arrived around 4 p.m. at the Hillmont. Heavy flames and thick smoke poured from the second floor as residents rushed to escape. One woman who lived in the building said she lost nearly everything.
"I lost mostly everything," she said.
She managed to get out safely, but one of her neighbors did not survive.
Aerial footage from Chopper 11 showed the extent of the damage, with the fire burning through the roof and leaving parts of the building charred and exposed.
Michelle Miller, who has lived in the complex for nearly a decade, said she ran outside as soon as she realized what was happening.
"I came outside and immediately saw the roof on fire," Miller said.
Her unit was spared, but she said the devastation around her is overwhelming.
"It's a very emotional time, very emotional. And so we're trying to do everything we can to provide resources for this little community, which has been so gracious to me," she said.
A second alarm was requested because of the scope of the fire. Multiple units sustained significant fire damage, with additional smoke damage to adjacent units, officials said.
The American Red Cross is assisting residents in need of temporary housing.
"The Red Cross, its primary concern is that we people have a safe place to live, a safe place to go to," said Donelle Nichols, a Red Cross and fire department liaison. "So what we're going to do is we're going to make sure that we meet that need as soon as we start registering people, we're going to start identifying that and giving them assistance so that they do have a safe place for tonight."
The person who died has not yet been identified.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the preliminary damage estimate was $700,000
The Chapel Hill Fire Department, White Cross Fire Department, North Chatham Fire Department, Orange Grove Fire Department and New Hope Fire Department all assisted with the effort. Orange County Emergency Services, the Carrboro Police Department, and South Orange Rescue Squad also provided support.
Fire crews remained on scene more than seven hours after the blaze began as investigators worked to determine the cause.
People are asked to avoid the area of Davie Road and Fidelity Street.
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