Tempe homes lose power after fire sparks near back alley

TEMPE, Ariz. - Tempe residents whose houses back up to the railroad tracks are thankful their homes were untouched by the fire.

"My husband stepped in the back and was like, 'The fence is on fire, it's on fire,' and so I looked and called 911," Maria Vassett said. "He went out thinking maybe I can put it out, and it just spread east and west and then came down north and south alongside both of our neighbors."

The fire spread along a back alley near railroad tracks.

"What I heard was that there was a train that went by that sparked something, and it ignited a flame somewhere throughout the back alley and it just kind of hit on different areas and kind of spread," Vassett said.

The Tempe Fire Department says six other fire departments responded to this fire to help put it out. Hundreds were left without power in the afternoon and that number trickled down as Salt River Project worked to get the power back on.

"I'm alright, I'm safe, dogs are safe, cats are safe, our neighbors are safe," Vassett said. "It was just, you know, obviously unexpected and scary."

It was also a scary sight for other residents who live on East Cedar Street but were lucky enough to get their power back on this evening.

"I saw a little bit of smoke. There were firetrucks stacked all across the street and a couple of police cars," Reaux Maroun said.

Residents are wanting answers after several fires have been reported in the Phoenix metro area in the past week.

"We're feeling a little bit in the dark and confused and not sure what's happening," Maroun said.

Most homes have their power back on, but SRP says some homes will be without power past midnight. 

SRP Outage Map
https://myaccount.srpnet.com/power/myaccount/outages

Area where the fire broke out: