Rozanna M. Martinez Journal Staff Writer
A Thursday morning fire at a Northeast Albuquerque apartment complex left four families without a home, and created huge plumes of smoke that could be seen for miles.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday.
According to Albuquerque Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Romero, 15 fire units responded to the scene of the eight-unit apartment complex at 1409 Chelwood Park NE. Two hoses and one aerial ladder were used to extinguish the fire that began about 10:30 a.m.
The fire destroyed four apartments, but all residents in the complex were able to get out safely on their own, or were evacuated by fire crews, Romero reported.
No residents were injured in the fire, but one firefighter was taken to Presbyterian Hospital for heat exhaustion. He was in stable condition and in “good spirits” late Thursday, Romero said.
The Red Cross established a temporary shelter for the evacuated residents at St. Mary’s Church on Chelwood Park NE. They also helped the four displaced families find temporary housing.
Fire Department crews made a tremendous amount of progress on this fire, Romero said in an email. A fire unit remained on scene Thursday evening to extinguish possible hot spots.
