SPEEDWAY, Ind. --
Crews battled a three-alarm fire at an apartment complex in Speedway on Thursday that left dozens of families without homes.
The blaze broke out just before 7 p.m. in the 2000 block of High Eagle Trail at the Eagle Lake Landing Apartments.
Witnesses said there was heavy smoke and fire coming from one of the buildings.
James Crawford and his neighbors rushed out of their burning building, as firefighters rushed in, 6News' Ericka Flye reported.
"I was banging on doors and running through the hallways. I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to make sure everybody got out," Crawford said.
Firefighter Mark Watson said the flames were already out of control when Speedway engines arrived at the scene.
"When (we) arrived, there were heavy flames showing from the building. It was already through the roof on the third floor," Watson said.
Some bystanders couldn't believe what they saw, and they captured the intense flames on their cellphones.
Crews worked for more than an hour to get the fire under control.
"We had one firefighter that had a slight injury who was treated at the scene," Watson said.
Red Cross officials said that of the 42 families displaced, only one person suffered minor injuries.
"Anyone who has family members that are living here, it would probably be a good idea to try to make contact with them and see if you can provide them with some shelter for the night because they're going to need it for awhile," Watson said.
Apartment officials said 25 apartments were destroyed in the blaze.
Investigators had not determined what sparked the fire. They planned to return to the building on Friday.
Copyright 2011 by TheIndyChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
