Maple Shade apartment residents safe after late-night fire rips through building

The fire department says the fire began in a first floor unit in the corner of the building. It spread so quickly to the surrounding apartments that fire officials evacuated everyone in the building and surrounding buildings.

In total, six units suffered damage from the flames and smoke. At least four of them are a total loss. 

Responding fire crews and emergency vehicles jolted residents in neighboring buildings from their sleep.

Ian Brown was one of those woken up. He lives a few buildings over and wasn't really sure what was happening at first.

"I couldn't see flames as much, but you could see smoke coming," Brown said. "There was a lot of smoke, and it was coming from behind Rte. 73. That's why it was positioned over here a bit. That's why I thought it was maybe a car, you couldn't see any flames, but you could see a lot of smoke coming from it."

Lenny Twers lives in a building across the parking lot. He says when you're living in an apartment building, you always have to worry about not only your own actions putting you at risk, but those of your neighbors as well.

"There's always the possibility that it's not your fault, but it could chase through the roof line or whatever. It depends on the way the buildings are built," he said. 

Trevor Hayden, with Belfor Property Restoration, who will do the clean-up work on the affected units, says, luckily, everyone got out okay.

"All pets were safe, no personal injuries as far as people occupying it," he said. "We were told there was someone rescued from a second-floor window, but everyone is safe and sound."

Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control quickly, but there's no official word yet on what started it.