Fire at Newport Commons Damages Apartments
Last Updated at 10:33 p.m.
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTO GALLERY: FIRE AT NEWPORT COMMONS
One man was reportedly injured in a blaze that broke out at the Newport Commons Apartments on North Oak St.in Lititz tonight sending flames and a plume of thick, gray smoke throughout the area. The two-alarm fire in the 400 block has reportedly displaced over a dozen residents.
“It was so scary!,” said Stephanie Carzola, who lives in a subdivision near the scene of the fire. “The heat coming off the building was so intense. It was engulfed within minutes of hearing the apartment building fire alarms going off.”
“We were getting ready to go for a walk with the kids when we saw smoke coming out of the parking lot side of the building, said Mary Smith. “We started seeing flames from the top of the building and I called 911. The fire seemed like it spread quickly.”
Ten fire engines were dispatched to the fire at around 5:20 p.m., according to the Lancaster County Live Incident list. Two ambulances were also dispatched to the scene. Firefighters from the Lititz Fire Company, Brunnerville Fire Company, and East Petersburg Volunteer Fire Company Station 2-3 battled the blaze and brought it under control in just over an hour, according to reports.
A number of apartments appeared to be heavily damaged by the fire, and at least some of the residents displaced by the fire will reportedly spend the night at local motels.
A poignant moment occurred outside the building when a woman was reunited with her dog, who was returned to her by a firefighter. (SEE FIRE PHOTO GALLERY).
There are conflicting reports of whether the flames breached the firewall in the structure. “It stopped at the firewall before it continued on to the left part of the apartment building,” said Stephanie Carzola, who witnessed the fire. Others at the scene disagreed.
It is unclear why the wood-frame building was so heavily damaged in light of the sprinkler system installed in the complex.
The blaze may have been caused by a barbecue on a third-floor balcony, but we do not yet have official confirmation of the cause or the extent of the damage.
A woman who answered the phone at Newport Commons leasing office tonight refused to comment and hung up.
The apartment complex reportedly prohibits the use of grills with an open flame. We will be updating this story as more information and photos arrive, so check back frequently. If you were on the scene and can provide information, please email [email protected] or call 717-984-7470. We need reliable reporting from cititzen journalists on this story.
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