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Fire damages Lauderdale Lakes apartment building as residents scramble to evacuate

Fire damages Lauderdale Lakes apartment building
Fire damages Lauderdale Lakes apartment building 01:36

LAUDERDALE LAKES - Residents of a Lauderdale Lakes apartment building went door to door to alert their neighbors to a fire after they said the alarms never sounded.

It happened Sunday overnight at the Somerset Lakes Phase III rentals, at 2820 Somerset Drive.

One resident said people in the building got to work quickly, alerting others and helping those in wheelchairs evacuate their units.

"We were only notified by the people, the fire alarm never went off. Imagine if this had happened at 3 o'clock or 4 o'clock in the morning, it could have been worse. Thank God we have good neighbors who were able to knock on doors and wake people up. The flames were so bad, the fire was growing like so bad," said one man who lives in the building.

The fire destroyed one unit and damaged several others surrounding it.

The American Red Cross was called in to assist a dozen people, including eight children.

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