Residents jump from three-story condo building to escape fire on NC coast, officials say
Flames tore through a condo complex on the North Carolina coast on Friday, forcing residents to jump to safety, officials said.
Callie Ryan was at home when she noticed smoke in her Carolina Beach condo and reached for her front door, WWAY reported.
“It was super hot,” Ryan told the TV station. “We have this window right off to the side and I looked out of it and my whole staircase was engulfed.”
That’s when the 27-year-old said she cut her screen window and jumped from her third-floor unit, breaking her back, according to WECT.
Ryan was among at least three people who officials said jumped to escape the fire that broke out at Paradise Cove Condominiums. Four people were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, the Wilmington Star News reported.
Though Ryan made it to safety, the smoke prevented her from rescuing her beloved dog, Phoebe, news outlets reported.
Carolina Beach Fire Department said the blaze started about 1 p.m. Friday and quickly spread due to wind gusts higher than 30 mph. Photos from Fire Chief Alan Griffin show smoke billowing into the air as flames engulf the front of a building in the town roughly 12 miles south of Wilmington.
“The fire severely damaged one 12-unit condo and caused minor damage to two additional 12-unit condos,” officials wrote in a Facebook post.
As of Monday, investigators said they were still working to determine the cause of the blaze. The Carolina Beach Police Department, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and ATF are part of the effort.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Residents jump from three-story condo building to escape fire on NC coast, officials say."
