2 New Year’s Day fires burn in same Phoenix apartment complex
Jan 1, 2019, 3:30 PM
NORTH PHOENIX — An unhappy new year began for residents of a north Phoenix apartment complex, as two fires tore through it.
James Sled opened the back door of his apartment unit.
“It was all fire, so I went and grabbed the kid from his room, and his window shattered,” Sled said. “As soon as I got him out of the room, the whole place went up.”
His girlfriend’s son had been sleeping when the first fire started at about 12:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Phoenix Fire estimates eight units burned, and nine residents were displaced, at a complex near North 14th Street and East Mountain View Road.
In the daylight, Sled stood next to what used to be his furniture and Christmas gifts.
“That used to all be stuff that was mine,” Sled said. “Now it’s just ash.”
Firefighters say they put out the first blaze and kept watch until 6:00 a.m. However, a second blaze started in the unit next to Sled at 7:30 a.m.
Investigators are determining their causes, and if they’re related.
Meanwhile, Arizona’s Red Cross has provided emotional, residential and monetary support for residents displaced by the two fires.
The residents are adjusting to the “new normal.”
“The people have suddenly become homeless, and they’re right in the middle of everything that’s going on, so there’s certainly that shock factor,” Red Cross team captain Michael Young said.
He said volunteers will keep tabs on them for the next few days, especially as social service groups are closed or have limited staffs around the holidays.
“Resources are limited, so it’s very difficult to get immediate response for any emergency on the scene,” he said.
