'Smoke everywhere.' Tenants rescued, firefighter injured, dog dies in Raleigh apartment complex fire

RALEIGH, N.C (WTVD) -- "Grabbed my phone, and grabbed everything I needed. Grabbed my dog. Just ran out, and tried to get to my mom."

Nearly two dozen tenants are looking for a new place to call home after a Sunday morning fire at an apartment complex in Raleigh.

The fire happened in the 9400 block of Prince George Lane near Six Forks Road. The Raleigh Fire Department (RFD) said the two-alarm fire was reported around 6:10 a.m.

Battalion Chief Dena Ali said firefighters found people hanging from the windows after arriving on the scene. Crews had to rescue four people who were taken to the hospital.

Their injuries didn't appear to be serious, Ali said.

A dog died as a result of the fire, Raleigh fire confirms.

One firefighter was also taken to the hospital after part of a ceiling fell on him. He is also expected to recover.

Joey Mihans lives next door to one of at least eight damaged apartments and tells ABC11 that when he got outside, he could see a lot of smoke and flames.

"Just smoke. Smoke everywhere. No smoke alarm went off, though. That's what was crazy. There was no smoke alarm."

"The flame was all the way, touching the trees. It went through the whole ceiling. Like the brick-it went from one side to the other. It took about 30 minutes. That was a quick-fire," Mihans said.

"Grabbed my phone, and grabbed everything I needed. Grabbed my dog. Just ran out, and tried to get to my mom."

In all, 21 people impacted by the fire are now looking for a new place to live.

The fire gutted much of this apartment building.

Battalion Chief Ali said it took firefighters about 45 minutes to get the fire out.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire crews were on the scene for nearly four hours putting out hot spots.

RFD said they've responded to four fires in an eight-hour period starting overnight Sunday. Two of the four fires required multiple alarms which meant additional fire stations responded.

Please check back for updates.

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