The blaze broke out at about 12:15pm at the center on Lyerly at Fulton. Firefighters arrived on scene within two minutes and found heavy smoke and fire coming from a second story unit.
The fire was upgraded to a second alarm within 10 minutes and tapped out just before 1pm. Approximately 130 firefighters responded to the fire, which was contained to the unit of origin. The first, second and third floor were evacuated and a shelter-in-place was held for the fourth and fifth floors.
Multiple rescues were done by firefighters using facility stair-chairs located on every other floor in the stairwell. One resident, who was rescued from an upper floor, was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation. There were no other reported injuries.
"One lady broke out the window and was being overcome by smoke," a firefighter said. "They set up a tower, firefighters climbed up and got her down. She's been transported to a nearby hospital."
"I'm sorry that the apartments caught on fire, but I'm glad that no one got seriously hurt," said resident Serena Rias.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and the American Red Cross is assisting the resident whose apartment caught fire.
This complex has about 200 units and is a five-story mid-rise building dedicated to the special needs of senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Two occupants will be re-located within the facility and all others will return to their units.
