Investigators continue to search for the cause of a fire on Hillcrest Drive in Clarkdale that injured four people and caused the death of three family pets Dec. 26, according to Clarkdale Fire District.
During his rounds shortly before 3 a.m., Clarkdale Police Officer Tommy Nester spotted the fire at the five-unit complex and was first to report it, according to a press release issued by Clarkdale Fire District.
When Nester called in the report, the second floor of the building, which consists of a single apartment, was fully engulfed in flames. Nester also assisted in the evacuation of the building, according to Clarkdale Fire District.
Two tenants were injured when they attempted to wake other tenants and alert them to the danger.
A female tenant injured her hand while breaking a window to the second floor apartment to alert the two elderly persons and their adult grandson who lived there. A male tenant injured his foot while breaking down a door to the unit directly below to evacuate those residents, which included children.
Two elderly persons, a 65-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man, were transported to Verde Valley Medical Center for smoke inhalation and minor burns.
Three dogs were killed in the blaze, according to the fire district.
The second-story apartment is a complete loss. The apartment below it is uninhabitable due to water damage. The three other ground-level apartments were undamaged, according to the district.
In addition to the apartment, a motor home parked on the property was severely damaged due to heat from the fire.
American Red Cross provided temporary shelter for the two families who were displaced.
Water supply was provided by water tenders. Thirty-three firefighters, 15 fire units, two ambulances and a rehab unit were on scene.
Agencies that assisted in battling the fire and helping victims included Verde Valley Fire District, Verde Valley Ambulance, Cottonwood Fire Department, Sedona Fire District, Camp Verde Fire District, Jerome Fire Department, Montezuma-Rimrock Fire District, the Trauma Intervention Program, Cottonwood Police Department, Clarkdale Police Department and Clarkdale Fire District.
Fire investigators began working to determine the cause of the fire immediately after it was extinguished. The investigation is still in progress.
