Woman found dead, 2 children hurt in fire
Several others rescued from apartment building
A 30-year-old woman was found dead and her two children were critically injured in a third-story apartment fire that broke out in central Phoenix Friday morning.
The fire was contained to the third floor of the building.
Firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls reporting heavy smoke and flames above an apartment complex with people trapped on a second-story balcony near 19th and Dunlap avenues, Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson Captain Kenny Overton said.
Multiple people had been rescued from the buildings by bystanders before the fire department arrived, Overton said.
Firefighters focused efforts on the third floor where the main body of the fire was blazing and extended ladders to the balcony on the floor below to help people trapped there escape.
Crews also checked the first and second floor apartments to ensure that residents had cleared the building.
Fire crews confirmed that a woman had been been found dead in the fire.
Crews found her on the complex’s third floor after the fire was out, during the salvage and overhaul process.
An 8-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy were taken to a local burn center in critical condition. A woman was also taken to the hospital for a leg injury, according to Overton.
All of the patients were in the same apartment building but it’s unknown whether they lived in the same apartment, Overton said.
“Eight units in total have been affected by this fire and the residents are working with Phoenix Fire Dept Crisis Response units, occupant services, and the Red Cross to obtain shelter for the evening,” Overton said. “No firefighters were injured during this incident and the cause of the fire will be under investigation.”
A Phoenix police homicide unit responded to the apartment complex to investigate the death, though police spokeswoman Sgt. Maggie Cox said officials “don’t have any reason to think this is suspicious.”
Cox said bystanders rushed into the apartment when the fire erupted to save the children, bringing them to police officers who immediately took them to fire crews for treatment.
She called their rescue a “positive” thing to focus on in the midst of tragedy.