Mobile Fire-Rescue crews responded Sunday evening to a fire at the Maison DeVille Apartments that began on a balcony and quickly consumed a second-floor unit. According to Fire-Rescue Public Information Officer Steve Huffman, the initial 911 call came in around 6:44 p.m. and was reported simply as a grill fire.
When crews arrived, Huffman said flames were coming from a balcony area of the complex. Firefighters evacuated the building as they worked to contain the blaze. No residents were injured, though one firefighter was taken to the hospital after being overcome by heat during the response.
By the time crews got the fire under control, the second-floor apartment where it originated had been effectively destroyed. Residents in nearby units described a chaotic scene as smoke and flames spread along the building.
Lyndsey Bickens, who lives directly below the unit where the fire broke out, said she has lived at the complex for about a year and a half and has now witnessed three separate fires there during that time. She said this latest blaze appeared to move down the length of the building as firefighters worked to douse the flames.
Next door, resident Dominique Jackson returned home in the middle of the incident. She said she had just pulled up to put away groceries when she saw the fire and, for a moment, thought it was her own apartment burning. Jackson, who has lived at the complex since April 2013, said she’s aware of at least two prior fires at the property, including one she said was started by candles.
Fire officials did not immediately release a cause for Sunday’s fire, and Mobile Fire-Rescue said the incident remains under review. The apartment complex has not publicly addressed the pattern of repeated fires described by residents, and it was not immediately clear whether any additional safety measures would be implemented in response.
For now, residents whose units were affected are left assessing the damage, while neighbors who watched the fire unfold say they hope it prompts a closer look at fire safety at the property going forward.