PHOTOS: Apartment complex heavily damaged in fire

Flames shoot through the roof of Country Club Plaza apartments Wednesday morning in Pine Bluff.
Flames shoot through the roof of Country Club Plaza apartments Wednesday morning in Pine Bluff.

PINE BLUFF — No injuries have been reported in a fire that consumed a large portion of a suburban apartment complex Wednesday.

Firefighters were called to the Country Club Plaza apartments on Cherry Street around 9:45 a.m., Pine Bluff Fire Chief Shauwn Howell told reporters at the scene.

Howell said there are around 30 units in the two-story brick structure. It was not clear how many apartments were affected, but a large section of the roof and a back part of the building caved in.

"Pretty much the entire complex was affected in one way or another," Howell said.

[GALLERY: Photos from the fire scene]

While there no injuries in the fire, a bystander was loaded into an ambulance around 1 p.m. for treatment after she became "lightheaded and dizzy," Howell said.

The woman was conscious, and it was not known if she had been inside the building earlier.

Firefighters were seen spraying water and foam on the building around 11:30 a.m., and Howell said there were "lingering hot spots." Two hours later, firefighters were still hosing down parts of the complex that appeared to be smoldering.

At one point earlier in the day, billowing gray smoke could be seen from at least 5 miles away.

Patrick Brown, 24, who lives across the street, said he came home around 10 a.m. and saw smoke around the back of the building and fire trucks on the scene.

"It started off just a little bit of flame, and then a few minutes later it was just an inferno," Brown said.

Kashima Williams, 21, said she lives in an apartment at the front of the complex, away from the worst of the flames. She said she was waiting to be let back in to see the extent of the damage.

"I was sleeping and I woke up to the fire department banging on the door. I came out and everything was just in flames," Williams said.

Capt. David Leonard with the Pine Bluff Salvation Army said the organization was providing drinks and snacks to residents as they waited and was preparing a "hot and hearty chili" to bring to the scene.

The organization's office in Pine Bluff has 14 beds for men, and 14 for women and children. Some are already filled, but the rest can be made available to displaced residents, Leonard said.

The Red Cross, meanwhile, set up shelters for displaced residents at the Ridgeway Assemble of God Church, the Hazel Street Church of Christ and the First Assembly of God Church in White Hall.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people lived in the apartment building.

Sam Alam, who identified himself as the owner of the building, said he purchased the property around 7 months ago. He said he was working with the Red Cross and other apartment owners in the area to find housing for all his tenants.

The apartments are just down the road from the entrance to the Pine Bluff Country Club in a neighborhood of mostly red-brick family houses.

EARLIER

The Pine Bluff Fire Department is battling a large fire at an apartment complex at 42nd and Cherry streets Wednesday morning.

Five crews have been sent to the scene, including a ladder truck, department engineer Johnnie Brown said over the phone.

Brown said there were no initial reports of injuries, but crews are still surveying the scene.

It wasn't clear when the fire was first reported.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Cyd King contributed to this story.

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