Officials: Accidental Grease Fire From Someone Cooking Started Massive King Of Prussia Apartment Complex Blaze That Injured 14
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) -- A huge blaze engulfed an apartment building in King of Prussia, injuring more than a dozen people, including several first responders. Officials say the preliminary indication is an accidental grease fire from someone cooking started the blaze. Upper Merion Township officials say the fire started on the third floor.
Fire officials told Eyewitness News some residents had to jump from balconies in order to escape the flames of the two-alarm fire at the Kingswood Apartment Complex.
Chopper 3 was over the charred building on Thursday morning. The fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 200 block of West Byron Place.
It took over two hours for Upper Merion Township firefighters and other units to get it under control.
Officials say 15 people were taken to the hospital, including five police officers and one paramedic who responded. Three residents remain hospitalized.
No one died in the fire.
All of the residents in this particular building have been displaced. Kingswood Apartment officials would not confirm how many people that includes, but they are working with the Red Cross to find suitable situations for everyone.
"I've never seen anything bad like this. It's very tragic, it's very upsetting and hopefully, people can get some homes for the night," Patrick Herron Jr. said. "It's a very nice place here in Kingswood and it's very upsetting to see something like this."
Residents were able to recoup some of their items around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
But the pile of rubble continues to grow outside the apartment buildings as crews have been working throughout the day, dealing with the aftermath of the two-alarm fire.
"If you could look inside, everything is destroyed. I have kids so it's devastating, to be honest. That's why I won't take off my sunglasses because I've cried," neighbor Tiffany Milligan said.
Upper Merion Township police say several other townships helped in response to the fire.
