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'It was like they were going to die.' Man remains hospitalized from injuries received in massive Raleigh apartment complex fire

Seventeen people were forced out of their apartment homes after massive fire overtook a Raleigh apartment complex on Wednesday night, burning for over two hours.

Posted Updated

By
Adam Owens
, WRAL anchor/reporter & Eric Miller, WRAL multimedia journalist
RALEIGH, N.C. — A man remains hospitalized after a fire ripped through a Raleigh apartment complex on Wednesday night.

Seventeen people were forced out of their homes following the fire in the 3900 block of Water Oak Drive, off New Hope Road. A total of 16 units in the building were impacted by the fire, most with smoke and water damage, but four homes were destroyed by fire.

Raleigh Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Sherrill said two people were injured in the fire, which took a long time to extinguish.

"There was a lot of fire," Sherrill explained. "In apartment buildings, there are a lot of small areas in the attic, so fire can actually get in there and it can be hard to get to ... it takes longer to find the fire and actually get to it to put it out."

Andres Sotos said his parents did not think they would escape the fire.

"They were basically trapped at that point, and they were just in terror because it was like they were going to die," said Sotos.

"The heat just hit [my mother.] She saw downstairs — it was engulfed in flames," he said.

The couple retreated to the bathroom, filled the bathtub with water, placed towels under the door and hoped someone would save them in all the flames. Then, Sotos said his parents heard a sound that told them they would make it.

"They started hearing the static from the radio of the firefighters," he said. "That's when they started calling out to them,"

Still, Sotos said his parents suffered smoke inhalation. Sotos' father, who shares the same name, remains hospitalized from injuries received in the fire.

"He was in really bad shape last night — really bad," said Sotos.

Neighbors told WRAL News the fire burned for over two hours before firefighters got it under control.

Resident Joyce Monroe was in the shower when the fire broke out. Her neighbors, worried about her safety, started banging on her door.

Monroe said she threw on the closest clothes she had and ran out of her apartment.

"When I got out, [there] was smoke coming over the top of the building," she said. "I saw the flames."

While neighbors said said the fire department has been called out to the Oaks Apartments several times in the last few weeks, the Raleigh Fire Department said they have not received "an unusual" number of calls.

Records show that there were no major incidents leading up to the fire and that the building's most recent inspection did not show any issues.

Firefighters did not say what caused the fire or how many apartments were damaged. While there were fire alarms in the apartment complex, there were no sprinklers. Authorities said that state law at the time did not require sprinklers.

The American Red Cross was on scene to help residents left homeless by the fire, which included a family with two children. The organization will provide shelter, food, relief items like toiletries, health and mental health services.

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