WESTLAKE, Ohio — The Westlake Fire Department is investigating after a fire broke out at an apartment complex on Wednesday morning.
The fire happened at Barrington Place near Detroit Avenue. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they said flames could be seen shooting out of the building.
According to the fire department, the fire began from a third-floor unit, possibly on a balcony.
"When we got here there was pretty heavy smoke. Shortly after we arrived, it went through the roof. We went defensive with the fire to try and stop it from going into the next building. We were successful at that," Captain Russell Hetman said.
The apartment complex has 12 units.
It is unknown how many of those units were occupied and how many people will be displaced.
No injuries were reported.
Occie Berger Jr. was visiting his mother and smelled smoke, at first dismissing it as left over from last week's Canadian wildfires. That's when he said something from a neighboring building's third-floor balcony caught his eye.
“I thought somebody was barbecuing up there,” Berger said.
He yelled to a passerby to call 911.
“That thing was in full flames in five or six minutes," Berger said. "Full flames and then you say, 'Oh no, oh no.'”
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Avon, Lakewood, Bay Village, Fairview Park and Rocky River assisted with putting the fire out.
