The town of Carrboro has identified a man killed in an apartment fire as Thomas Owens Jr., 53.
Sky 5 flew over the scene of a massive fire Monday at Hillmont Apartments on Fidelity Street. According to the Carrboro Fire Department, firefighters responded to the scene around 4 p.m.
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When firefighters arrived, they saw flames and smoke coming out of multiple apartments. It took 41 firefighters an hour to control the flames.
Owens died in the fire.
Sky 5 also saw possible residents gathering in the woods across the street from the complex, and a stretcher appeared to be in the crowd.
"I was actually upstairs in my apartment and came outside to see sparks flying from the end unit and the roof," said Michelle Miller, a resident at the complex. "It’s devastating. You never think it’s going to hit this close to home and it did unfortunately.”
Fire teams believe the the fire was accidental, though an exact cause is not known.
Several apartments at the complex had significant fire damage. At least 20 residents were affected by the fire, and firefighters said the Red Cross is helping them find temporary housing.
Carrboro Fire Chief Will Potter said the fire started on the second floor of the building. The cause is still under investigation.
"It was quite a large fire so we were very reliant on our personnel," Potter said. About seven fire departments responded and eight units were destroyed. Residents in the two nearest sections to where the fire started are not allowed to return to their homes for now.
"We are going to start identifying that and giving them assistance so that they do have a safe place for the night. That’s our primary concern," said Donnell Nichols with the Red Cross.
If you were impacted by the fire and need to connect with the Red Cross, click here.
It is unclear what started the fire, but firefighters said it is under investigation.
Jason Owens, Thomas' brother, said his sibling was working to improve himself and was charitable.
"If you needed clothing or you wanted an outlet for housing, or somewhere to eat, he was always the person to show up and say 'hey, I know where you can go to get help for that,'" Jason said. "He was always wanting to give somebody a step up the ladder."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help some residents affected by the fire.