Castleton apartment fire displaces 30 residents

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Rescue efforts proved successful after an apartment fire in Castleton.

Fire ripped through a building at the Autumn Woods Apartments on the north side of Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Fire fighters pulled two people from their third floor windows. Meanwhile, neighbors caught dogs and cats that were thrown down to safety.

Courtneay Dellavalle-Jones, her boyfriend and dog were trapped inside her unit on the second floor.

Flames filled her balcony and smoke billowed from her front door. Not sure how to get out, she yelled for help. A Good Samaritan came to their rescue.

“I had my dog in one hand, and I had my boyfriend. I yelled, ‘Help, help, help, the fire!’ Finally there was a man who came up and grabbed us, grabbed our arms and led us out,” said Dellavalle-Jones.

Once out safely, she helped the rescue efforts of her neighbors and their pets.

“We had a big sheet, a blanket. The people on the third floor weren’t able to get out yet, and they tossed their dog out of the apartment. We caught their dog and the fire department came and had their ladders and saved the couple that lived above us,” said Dellavalle-Jones.

Fire officials said a resident on the first floor started the blaze when he was cooking with grease. They said he briefly left it unattended. There were 30 residents displaced and damage is estimated at $750,000.