STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – An apartment fire in Sterling Heights killed one woman Wednesday night and injured three more.
The fire started about 11 p.m. at the Sterling Knolls apartments on 15 Mile Road. It took firefighters nearly 2 hours to battle the flames.
Many of the residents were asleep when the fire broke out. Some residents were trapped by the fire and smoke.
Laura Ann Phillips, 33, was identified as the woman killed in the fire. Her birthday was this upcoming weekend.
Another woman was hospitalized. She is expected to be OK. Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion.
Those who were at the apartment building said people were running around knocking on doors trying to wake people up.
"I first came around the corner ... the top half of the left house was like burnt, and that's when my dad started calling the police, and then we both started knocking on the (apartment doors)," said Sargon Nasser, who lives at the building.
The thick smoke consumed the building. Sixteen units were affected. It's unclear what caused the fire.
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