Fire at Durham apartment complex leaves five people homeless

The Red Cross was assisting at least five people after a fire at a Durham apartment building Monday night.

Authorities said the fire began at about 7:15 p.m. at an apartment building at 200 Seven Oaks Road. When firefighters arrived at the scene, flames were coming from the first and second floors of the two-story unit.

The flames were under control in about 20 minutes, but three units were uninhabitable, including one that was a total loss. Two other units sustained smoke and water damage, authorities said.

Battalion Chief Dan Cremeans said there is an extensive process to determine what caused the fire.

“The investigator will go in and look for fire patterns, just clues that they look for to see what the area of origin was. A lot of time they’ll find appliances or heaters or electrical if it’s an accidental fire,” he said.

One person was evaluated at the scene for a non-fire related medical condition and two dogs made it to safety when they ran from the building after firefighters opened the door.