2 men jump in to rescue residents, pets from burning Phoenix apartments

PHOENIX - A "roaring" fire on the second floor of a Phoenix apartment complex displaced 8 people and 3 cats, the fire department said on Monday, June 26.

The fire broke out near 7th Street and Bell Road around 6 a.m.

"Firefighters quickly responded to the scene, extending fire hose to the interior of the affected units and attacked the flames fully mitigating the emergency," Phoenix Fire said.

Everyone was able to escape the fire, but eight people and three cats are now without homes. A crisis team is helping them.

"They are lifesavers"

Stephen Ortiz and Darion Weaver are to thank for helping these residents escape their homes.

"It was engulfed. The whole patio was engulfed and it was shooting out," Ortiz said.

He’s currently homeless and living in a nearby park when he saw the huge plume of black smoke.

"First gut instinct was break the [glass to the] fire extinguisher and start spraying inside, started banging on all the doors, screaming ‘fire’ just trying to let everybody know that there's danger around," Ortiz said.

It’s not the first time he’s jumped into action.

"I have seen car crashes happen, and I’ve pulled people out of car crashes before," he said.

His friend Darion Weaver helped wake up everyone living inside the apartments.

"I was just trying to get people out. It was a big fire so I didn’t know how much time we had," Weaver said.

Keona Love says she and her daughter were fast asleep inside.

"They are just really grateful that we came, we woke her up. She had no idea that the building was on fire," Ortiz said.

Love credits them for saving their lives.

"I came up to the door and looked through the peephole and I heard him say ‘fire.’ I hurried up and grabbed my daughter and ran out," she said. "They are lifesavers."

No one was injured in this incident, FD days.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Map of where the fire happened: