A five-alarm fire erupted Thursday, March 16, in an apartment building under construction and lit up the Raleigh skyline in a terrifying way.

   Fire crews stayed out all night and into the morning doing their best to contain the fire, which they eventually got under control after about three and a half hours or so.

  As morning rose and crews were still working on the fire, it was confirmed that there were no casualties and that there was one minor injury to a firefighter. There is damage to about 10 buildings in the downtown area and a building that was under construction is in ruins.

  “My dad ran out to his car in his underwear in order to rush downtown for a huge fire that was more than a block long,” senior Carson Harvey said whose father is a fire chief of Raleigh.

  There were 130 firefighters battling the fire, splitting up into 90 minute shifts. For many firefighters this was one of the biggest fires they have ever seen, especially in the Raleigh area.

  As families around their televisions watched the flames takeover the city, there were many questions that were being asked. Where exactly downtown is this? Is there anyone trapped? How did it start?

  The fire was on North Street across the street from the 42nd Street Oyster Bar and spread about a block long. It supposedly started on the second or third floor of the building under construction. Due to the wood and other flammable building materials inside, it erupted into huge flames in a matter of 20 minutes.  

  Although Raleigh residents watched in terror, there was no one injured or killed in the fire. The fire is a perfect example of why we should be thankful for the firemen of Raleigh.