Chopper 11 arrived at the scene at approximately 12:40 p.m. and saw smoke and flames shooting out of the roof of one of the buildings at Lennar at Magnolia Trace townhomes.
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"It's pretty severely damaged," Raleigh Fire Division Chief Jake Corker said.
One person was home at the time of the fire but Corker said there were no injuries. However, the Red Cross is helping a family of three find a new place to live for a little while.
Eyewitnesses described seeing billows of smoke pouring out of the townhome.
"Immediately there's smoke," Tymia Atkinson said. "I went back through the house and out the back door to see what the back of the house looked like and half of the house from the middle to the right side, from top to bottom, three floors was already burned."
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Two other units had minor damage as crews worked to put out the fire.
"It's a pretty close community," Atkinson said. "Just kind of hoping and praying they're OK and that they transition OK because coming home or getting that call at work and coming home to no house is kind of devastating."
Most residents were cleared to get back inside Wednesday afternoon.
Corker said one firefighter suffered a minor injury. The cause of the fire is listed as accidental but the case remains under investigation.