VIDEO: A wind-fueled fire leveled an apartment building on River Street in Sanford Thursday afternoon.
Sanford's Assistant Fire Chief Rick Smith says no one was injured at the scene, and his crew was able to rescue several pets from the building. Smith says the fire started at 29 River Street around noon and when crews arrived the fire was contained to one apartment, but the entire building was engulfed in flames soon after.
“Our crews are aggressive and well-trained to do a great job, but sometimes mother nature has other plans, and we did the best we could,” Smith said. Smith says Thursday's strong winds pushed the flames across the apartment building, causing severe damage. At one point, the flames spread onto neighboring buildings. Kimberly Elliott and her family live in one of the buildings where the fire spread.