Flames, ruptured gas line force 30 residents from Montco apartments
UPPER MERION, Pa. (WPVI) --
A multi-alarm fire fueled by a ruptured gas line has forced 30 people from their apartments in Upper Merion Township.The blaze broke out at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Abrams Run Apartments in the 300 block of Bill Smith Boulevard.
Firefighters arrived to heavy flames showing on the second floor of one of the two-story buildings in the complex.
A woman who lived in the apartment where the fire appears to have started said she was lying in bed when she smelled something.
She put her hand to the wall and it was hot. She then went on her balcony and saw flames.
She told Action News that she ran and began knocking on doors.
Sixteen units were damaged and half of them were destroyed, along with half of the roof.
Nearby wires and a transformer also caught on fire.
All the residents managed to get out safely.
PECO crews were called to the scene and are digging a hole to shut off the gas.
So far, there is no word on any injuries.
The Red Cross is assisting twenty residents.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.