Island Apartment Fire Destroys Building early Sunday morning

A large fire broke out early Sunday morning at the Island Tree Apartment Homes on Johnny Mercer Boulevard. Flames could be seen shooting into the air from miles away as firefighters struggled to get enough water to put the blaze out. One entire building was completely consumed by the fire, which started around 2:30am. No word on what might have sparked the fire.

As of Sunday noon, firefighters and residents tell us that everyone who lived inside the building made it out okay. The Amerian Red Cross was on scene in the early morning hours, providing clothing and food to the residents who had to leave the building in their night clothes. According the Red Cross, up to 30 people may have lived inside the 8 unit apartment building. The Red Cross says the apartment complex is helping out its residents by putting them putting them up in motels.

Two young women who lived inside the building told us they had just moved in a month ago. They were not home but say they received a call on their cell phones from management at the complex saying they needed to "get home right away."

There's no official cause of the fire at this point. Assistant Southside Fire Chief Hugh Futrell says they got the call at 2:38 a.m. and that crews were on scene about four minutes later. "When we got there much of the top of the building was already engulfed in flames."

Futrell tells us there was "very low" water pressure in a couple of hydrants. "The two closest to the building," he says.

Futrell says calls were made to get the water pressure increased and they laid lines to other hydrants in the complex. He says it took about 30 to 40 minutes to get the water pressure increased in the two closest hydrants. He says higher water pressure to begin with might have made some difference as far as the damage on the first floor of the building (in terms of what items might have salvaged.) Futrell says at this point he has "no idea why the water pressure was so low or who may have been responsible. It's something we'll have to look into," he told us.

Click video to see some of the first video shot from the scene.