The fire scene a Stoney Creek Apartments in Irmo (image credit Rich Owensby/WLTX)
Irmo, SC (WLTX) - A fire at the Stoney Creek Apartments in Irmo has left 11 people without a home.
Officials say they responded to the fire at 5 Wednesday morning. The blaze affected six units.
Irmo Fire Marshall Jeff Allen, said six apartments have been damaged and eleven people have been displaced including a child.
There were no injuries.
Terrance Hammonds, a resident of the apartment, says he smelled smoke. He then woke his brother up, and they began running door to door to wake up their neighbors.
"[I'm] beating on the doors, beating them down, and cursing and going crazy and trying to get everybody out," Hammonds said. "I'm quite sure they understood what the situation was going down and I was trying to get them up out of there."
Hammonds said his fire extinguisher didn't work, so he and others tried to use water to put out the flames, but it didn't work.
"It really frightened me, it really made me panicked and scared because I knew I was racing against time, that was the main thing," Hammonds said. "But Lord willing, I got every single person out of that building and we're all blessed to be living right now."
The cost of the damage has yet to be determined. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced families.