MANTEO, N.C. — A fire at Shallowbag Bay resulted in major damage to a building around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. Many neighbors were woken up by or drawn to the intense scene near their homes.
"I've never seen one so up close and personal, and to see it just almost explode," said Nancy Hoffman, who has lived in the Shallowbag Bay Club community for nearly five years.
Videos taken by neighbors showing just how engulfed in flames this structure was Wednesday morning. Nancy Hoffman who lives just yards away was drawn to the bright light this morning.
"I could see this bright light out of my bedroom window, and so I went over and looked and saw the fire. And about that time, someone pounded on my door and said, 'You need to evacuate'.”
News 3 learned that five of the six units had people inside, who were all able to get out safely, but have now lost their homes. Three of the units were heavily damaged by fire and the other three by smoke and water.
“For them to have to stand over there and watch their condos be destroyed, was just so sad to see," said Hoffman.
Fire and emergency crews from across the Outer Banks had the fire under control within an hour. 75 first responders were on scene from seven fire and emergency departments across the Outer Banks.
“It takes a lot of hands to correctly and efficiently put out a fire this size," said Kevin Zorc, emergency manager for the Town of Manteo.
Zorc says efficient smoke alarms played a big role in the people getting out of their homes.
"That's what allowed these folks to get an early notification and to make haste to get out of their structure. So they are here, I would say, because of that notification when they were likely sleeping and needed to have some kind of audible alert,” said Zorc.
Unfortunately, 10 people are now without a home. The structure is condemned and demmed uninhabitable. Local organizations, like the Red Cross are stepping up to help displaced families out and Hoffman says the Shallowbag Bay Club community will do the same.
"The nice thing about it is that we who live here try to look out for each other. One of the families on the other side, they can't get in their house, are spending the night with me, and I know that some others have offered their rooms, their bedrooms and bathrooms and whatever to try to help them get through this," said Hoffman.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined and is under investigation and one cat remains unaccounted for.
A video taken by a News 3 viewer shows a massive fire engulfing the condo building:
Fire emergency personnel responded to a fire that began around 6 a.m. in Building 2 of Shallowbag Bay Club. They brought the fire under control in around an hour, according to the town of Manteo.
The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and remains under investigation, the town of Manteo said.
