Nashville apartment complex damaged by fire

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - For the second time in less than a week a Nashville apartment complex sustained significant damage caused by fire.

A fire at the British Woods apartment complex likely destroyed 21 units. A large plume of smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away from the complex located off Murfreesboro Pike near the Nashville International Airport.

The two-alarm fire began around 6:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived at the scene, flames could be seen in the top of the roof line on one half of the building.

Initially fire crews thought people were trapped inside apartment units, but no one was found.

A fire chief at the scene described the damage to the 21 units as a total loss. Fire officials said they used a large amount of water from hydrants on Murfreesboro Pike because there was not enough water available inside the complex.

Samantha Pennington, who lives in a building next to the damaged apartments, said flames were going above the treetops.

“It was going above the treetops. It was just boisterous flames like overcoming the entire building,” Pennington said. “It was only a few feet away from us especially during the climax of the fire. These poor families, they’ve lost everything. They don’t have a home. They don’t have anything, and it was many families living over there.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The district fire chief said he did not believe the building had a sprinkler system.

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