Nearly two years after a fatal New Year's Eve apartment fire in Everett, fire officials say they're making progress in the push to get fire alarm systems in apartment complexes up to code.
It was December 31, 2015 when a massive fire broke out at The Bluffs Apartments on West Casino Road. The apartment complex, built in the late 1960s, didn't have fire alarms.
As a result, neighbors said they had little warning. Some had no idea the fire was even happening, until they smelled the smoke and saw the flames themselves.
"Yeah I didn't hear nothing until we saw it," said resident Jose Velasquez. "Me and my buddies were hanging out, it was New Year's Eve, and I looked out the window and was like, oh man, that apartment is on fire."
He was one of more than 100 people whose apartment units were damaged by smoke, water, and flames on that night.