VIDEO: Smoke from a huge fire in downtown Phoenix at a four-story apartment complex under construction could be seen from miles away Sunday night. It was at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Grant Street, near Jefferson Street.
According to officials on scene, nearly 40% of the building was complete before the fire erupted. The fire quickly escalated to a 1st alarm blaze, which required hundreds of firefighters. The flames expanded east to toward commercial properties. That's when crews were assigned to protect those surrounding structures. Phoenix Fire Department said that burning construction equipment such as trucks, tractors, forklifts and barrels caused many of the explosions in the fire. Initially, there were reports that the fire started at an APS substation. However, Lily Quezada, a representative with APS media, said that is not the case.