3 families scramble to safety after Glendale duplex bursts into flames

GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Bright orange flames and thick black smoke could be seen for several blocks. A neighbor shot a video of a duplex across the street from him catching fire around 11 p.m. Sunday off Camelback Road and 74th Avenue in Glendale.

Lupe Ramos was inside one of the units with her family when her husband started banging on the door and yelling, “Fire!” “He said call the fire department my face is on fire, I cant breathe, I cant see anything, so call them and get everybody out,” said Ramos. “As soon as we came out, the whole thing exploded.”

Ramos said her husband was in the carport and had just opened the door to the washer and dryer room when flames shot out at him. All seven family members, including three children, got out in time.

“It was just an instant they were yelling get out of the house, get out of the house,” said Ashlee Molchan, who drove over to her family’s home. “The kids didn’t know what was going on, and as soon as everyone got outside they saw the house on fire and smoke everywhere. It was pretty traumatic for all of them. They are pretty shook up right now.”

Two other units on each side also caught fire, forcing those families to run to safety. The units are considered a total loss, with 14 people forced to find a new place to live.

The Glendale grandmother was able to salvage a few pictures. Unfortunately, her husband suffered burns on his face, but the family knows the most important thing is that everyone is okay. “Seeing my mother in law cry, it breaks my heart,” said Molchan. “We don’t expect things like this to happen, but they happen out of nowhere. We can’t always be prepared for everything as much as we want to. Material things are replaceable, but family we can’t replace.”

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. The Red Cross was called in to help the families find a place to live.

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