29 Displaced by Raleigh Apartment Fire

Raleigh, N.C. — Fire destroyed or badly damaged more than two dozen apartments on Wednesday.

The flames were spotted around 1:45 p.m. at the Concord Apartments at 3920 Knickerbocker Parkway in Raleigh, off of Duraleigh Road. It took firefighters about an hour to contain the blaze, but they were able to limit it to the one structure. A nearby apartment building was evacuated as a precaution.

Investigators say pine straw that ringed the building helped fuel the fire. Firefighters are trying to pinpoint where the fire started. Investigators are isolating a second floor area on the West side of the Building.

No one was injured. About 29 residents were displaced by the fire.

Travis Babb said he had just gotten home from work when firefighters banged on his door. Babb and other residents who were home at the time all escaped the burning building. The thick smoke, though, forced the evacuation of nearby apartments.

“I probably don’t have anything to salvage. From my view when I went around, I don’t have a living room floor anymore. It’s all gutted,” said apartment resident Shamika Thompson.

The Red Cross and the apartment complex managers planned to relocate affected residents to other apartments within the complex or sister properties, they said.

The Red Cross opened a shelter at the Ridge Road Baptist Church, at 2011 Ridge Road, to help families displaced by the fire. The shelter will be open for the next day or two.