TIFFIN, OH (Toledo News Now) – Residents of the Willow Creek Apartments are picking up the pieces after the building caught fire Sunday night.
According to authorities, about 30 people were evacuated from the building, and no one was hurt. Among them was Jacob O'Neil, whose apartment suffered smoke damage.
"We were just up there watching TV and then people were running down the hallways screaming that their apartment was on fire," O'Neil said. He grabbed his children and got outside before returning to help some neighbors escape.
Neighbors said they were terrified that the flames would spread to their building.
"The flames were running out the front doors and the windows," said neighbor Jessica May. "When the fire department got here the flames were up clear past the second window."
Flames were so hot that the siding melted and pulled away from the building.
"And then it just exploded," O'Neil said. "Just flames erupted the whole entire area. The blinds just melted and the whole entire room just engulfed within a matter of seconds."
The cause of the fire and extent of the damage are still under investigation. A spokesperson for PK Management, owners of the complex, said families may be able to return by Tuesday evening.
