Two dogs die in apartment fire in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Two dogs died in a fire at an apartment building Tuesday night, according to the Rock Hill Police Department.

The Rock Hill Fire Department said no one was injured at the fire that happened just after 11:30 p.m. on Stoneypointe Drive.

“What started the fire?” said Demario Wilson, a resident.

The two dogs that perished were his.

“I had my dogs,” Wilson said. “My dogs were in there. They didn’t make it out.”

Wilson wants to know how the fire spread so quickly.

He was in a top unit when the fire started.

“I was watching TV and then went to go lay down in the room,” Wilson said. “Five minutes, I saw a cloud of smoke. Smoke was in the room, and I just had to get out of there.”

Wilson said he got out, thought about his neighbors, and knocked on every door in his building.

“So my first instinct, the person that I am, you know, ‘Hey, get out,’” he said.

Deputy Chief Trey Hovis said getting the fire under control was a challenge.

“Due to the parking lot, we were only able to access the front of the building with one aerial ladder. So we had these a lot of ground ladders, and that’s very manpower intensive,” Hovis explained.

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An initial investigation revealed that the fire started in a unit on the third floor.

The American Red Cross is helping the 19 residents who have been displaced.

Police said they are still working to determine what caused the fire.

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