By Patrick Phillips | October 20, 2020 at 6:32 PM EDT - Updated October 20 at 9:54 PM
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - North Charleston firefighters are investigating a fire at an apartment complex off Highway 78.
The Red Cross says it is helping approximately 27 people who have been displaced because of the fire at Atlantic Palms Apartments Tuesday late Tuesday afternoon.
North Charleston Deputy Fire Chief Stephanie Julazadeh said the first units to arrive saw smoke in the breezeway of one of the buildings and then saw fire coming out of the roofline of the building.
Owen Mena said he was visiting his friend who lives in the building right across from where the fire happened. He said he pulled into the complex and smelled the smoke. He also saw people being evacuated.
“I was like oh my god, someone must have been hurt. I thought an explosion happened from the way people talked about it,” Mena said.
Firefighters requested additional units respond to assist with the fire.
No injuries were reported.
Fire investigators were set to enter the building to determine what started the fire as soon as any remaining hot spots were taken care of.
“Anytime you have a fire in the roofline, you’re always concerned about the safety of the roof structure,” she said. Firefighters were planning to initially use a bucket truck to examine the structure to make sure it is safe enough for investigators to go in.
As of shortly after 7 p.m., Julazadeh said she expected a large fire department presence to remain on the scene for several hours.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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