MESA, Ariz. — Mesa firefighters responded to a destructive fire Friday morning that caused significant damage to an apartment building near Broadway and Dobson roads.
The building was evacuated and no injuries have been reported as firefighters continue to contain the fire.
When firefighters first got to the roof of the building, they were forced to quickly exit due to the flames reaching the building's attic space. Firefighters are now attacking the fire from an aerial position.
Sky12 footage shows the building's roof has been severely damaged.
Fire officials say at least 24 units were involved in the fire and 40 to 50 people have been displaced.
As for the cause of the fire, Mesa Fire says they'll have an investigator come out to look into the exact cause.
"Potentially, our initial report is that smoke and flames were coming from in between two units. So it could have started in the walls, maybe an electrical issue - that I can't speak to," Capt. Cale Ackerley with Mesa Fire Department said.
This is not the first fire at the complex, Central on Broadway, this year. Another resident, Gabriela Nava, said she was affected by a fire in another building. 12News records show a fire at the complex on May 31.
"This fire is worse than ours, honestly. I feel bad for everybody. I get emotional - this one's not mine, but we went through the same thing. This is too much," Nava said.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
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