Massive fire burns Phoenix new housing development
PHOENIX - No one was hurt when a large fire broke out overnight in southwest Phoenix at a neighborhood under construction.
The flames sparked just before 11:30 p.m. on April 7 near 59th Avenue and Baseline Road.
When firefighters arrived, they found multiple apartments under construction burning.
"Crews laid supply lines, extended hose lines and attack the flames from a defensive posture," Phoenix Fire said. "Ladder companies set up for a 'Big Water' operation to extinguish the fire from an elevated position."
Over 75 firefighters battled the fire. No one was hurt. At least 15 units under construction were wiped out.
"That number could go to 20, so we’re out here looking at is there multiple ignition sources? Was it man caused? Was this an accident?" said Cpt. Rob McDade with the Phoenix Fire Department. "We had our accelerant detecting dog out here, Sunny, looking for any hits. We’ll collect that information, they’ll bring it down to the lab to be analyzed."
We asked whether any utilities were hooked up at the site, and Cpt. McDade said there were no utilities that were running, and there was no natural gas in the area.