Raleigh, NC — A large fire Monday at an apartment building in north Raleigh was caused by improperly discarded smoking material, investigators said.

Firefighters responded to the fire on Monday night at the LYV at Six Forks apartment complex near Shanda Drive and Spring Forest Road in Raleigh.

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The Raleigh Fire Department said only one building caught fire, and no one was injured. 

The apartment complex's management is working with the Red Cross to help 10 residents who were unable to return to their homes. 

WRAL News saw fire and smoke around 8:15 p.m. Monday. The flames reached nearly two stories high. Drone 5 flew over the building on Tuesday morning, showing the extent of the damage.

"When we walked, the flames were as big as the building coming from the top floor and the trees were on fire," neighbor Tara Wiselove said.

Wiselove said she was planning to have a celebration with her sons.

"When we turned around there was fire and it was big," Wiselove said.

Wiselove said she saw people running in and out of the three-story building.

"There was some worry about someone still being left in the building and I don't know the answers to that," Wiselove said.

Wiselove said she heard a boom or an explosion.

"I know it came from the building, but I don't know what generated the sound," Wiselove said.

Roberto Flores said that while his apartment wasn't burnt, he's still dealing with damage from the water used to put the fire out. 

"The main room. The restroom. My kid's room. The ceiling has started to fall. It's [a lot of] damage," he said. 

Personnel from the Raleigh Police Department and Raleigh Fire Department responded to the scene.

Raleigh Assistant Fire Chief Charles Williams said there have been seven fires at the complex over the years. 

WRAL News has covered two of those, including an October 2022 fire that forced 10 people out of their apartments and a July 2008 fire that damaged 16 units.

WRAL News looked at inspection records for the complex. While there weren't any major red flags, there was a sprinkler testing maintenance failure as recently as February.