Two people suffered smoke inhalation and burn injuries and multiple condos were damaged after a fire tore through a condominium complex Saturday morning just east of ASU's Tempe campus.
"Firemen went into the condo and pulled out the victims who were trapped by smoke and flames," said Deems Shepard, a Tempe Fire Department spokesman.
The two people pulled from their condo were not breathing on their own and were taken to Maricopa Medical Center, Shepard said.
They were burned, but the smoke inhalation injuries were more severe, he said.
It is unknown if the individuals are ASU students.
Without knowing the victims' full names and dates of birth, the Maricopa Medical Center would not release their current status.
The Tempe Fire Department responded to a call at 5:33 a.m. about a fire at the Commons on Lemon, located at 1215 E. Lemon St., according to the fire department dispatch center.
The department believes a lit cigarette left on a second-floor balcony couch started the fire, Shepard said.
The fire ripped through condos on either side, residents said.
There was not a sprinkler system in place, Shepard said.
If there were a sprinkler system, it would have extinguished the fire or held the fire in check until the fire department arrived, he said.
This could have reduced the amount of damage and there would have likely been no injuries, Shepard said.
Shannon Hellem, a secondary education senior, awoke because of a friend screaming in the complex.
"I heard [a friend] screaming 'call 911, the building is on fire,'" Hellem said. "Adrenaline or instinct took over and I ran outside and pulled the fire alarm.
"I started screaming there was a fire because there were people inside."
Dave Payne, 22, lives in a nearby condo.
"Shannon is a hero," Payne said. "I woke up and heard screaming."
Tempe Fire Department was immediately on the scene, Hellem said.
"The firemen were great," she said. "They are brave people."
Davee Raganit, homeowners' association manager of the Commons, said the fire departments told her six condos are unlivable.
Hellem's condo appears undamaged, but it smells like smoke and she was told it would need work in the attic, she said.
She has homeowner's insurance and will probably move in with her parents for the time being, she said.
Pre-business junior Omar Assaf, who has lived in his condo for two months, said he would move in with his brother.
"I was just getting settled in," Assaf said.
"This is a tragedy for our community," Hellem said.
Reach the reporter at: jeffrey.mitchell@asu.edu.
