VIDEO: The American Red Cross is assisting nine families, 23 people total, after a fire at a Lake Wales apartment complex, the organization said Monday.
The fire occurred Saturday morning just after 2:30 a.m. at the Quails Bluff Apartments. Crews battled the fire until around 8 a.m. Nobody was injured.
“Me and my brother were in the back and we smelled something, thought somebody was barbecuing. We came around and we came outside and saw the smoke was really thick,” said Nicote Graham who lives in a nearby apartment.
Graham said he dropped his phone and ran to help, not even stopping to put on shoes before knocking on doors in the building that was on fire.
“It was kind of like second nature when you see something, like if you see somebody reaching for something on a shelf, you go help them like it’s kind of second nature. You see people, it’s a fire. Anything could happen,” he said.