Fire ripped through three buildings in the Crossgates Apartments in Starkville Tuesday evening, creating a chaotic scene and sending smoke billowing into the air that could be seen for miles around the city.
One firefighter was injured when ammunition in one of the apartments went off in the fire; a bullet struck him in the upper chest, Fire Chief Rodger Mann said. The firefighter wasn”t seriously injured, Mann said. No other injuries or deaths were reported.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze at 8:20 tonight, which had already destroyed three buildings and caused heat and smoke damage to a fourth.
While apartment layouts differ, each affected building houses eight apartments.
The complex, located at 1087 Stark Road, is large and popular with students, with around 30 buildings. The fire started around 6 p.m., in Building 19 on the first floor, one witness said.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene, with at least a dozen city and county fire trucks, along with ambulances and police cars. Witnesses said no one died in the blaze, but much of the complex was evacuated as fire officials worked the scene. Hundreds of residents milled around, awaiting more news and watching the spectacle. Power to the entire complex was turned off, and only emergency vehicles were allowed into and out of the complex. One witness said that a pet cat had possibly died in one building.
Tonight”s Board of Aldermen meeting was cut short when Police Chief David Lindley told the board about the fire, which had just begun; Mann had left moments before. Mayor Parker Wiseman recessed the meeting until next Tuesday, and he and several aldermen were on the scene after the meeting.
Check back on cdispatch.com or read Wednesday”s print edition for more on this breaking story.
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