AVONDALE — A fire tore through an Avondale apartment building Thursday, destroying the building and displacing residents, but no one was hurt, officials said.
Firefighters were called to a fire in the 2900 block of North Sawyer Avenue around 4:45 pm. Thursday, Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said.
The blaze was a “typical” still and box apartment building fire, but it drew a large emergency response to keep firefighters safe during Thursday’s high temperatures and humidity, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.
Residents who lived in the building were displaced, Merritt and neighbors said.
Jose Montoya said he was at his parents’ house two doors down when the fire started.
Montoya threw water on neighbors’ patios to prevent the flames from spreading, he said. Two adults and several kids escaped the building before firefighters arrived on the scene, he said.
The blaze brought back tragic memories for Montoya, whose family lost everything in a fire when he was just 10 years old.
“I know what these people are going through. My parents went through it, and it’s just crazy, he said. “That’s why we were trying to help out as much as we could.”
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