The yelling and pounding woke up Elsa Ubay, her boyfriend and her brother. They ran out of their apartment into the hall. Black smoke blotted out everything. Neighbors brought jackets, coveralls and pants for the victims. Sri Naidu carried his cordless phone out with him to call 911.
Officials believe the fire started in a ground floor apartment in the middle of the building.
Fire investigators had not pinned down the cause by Monday. But they suspect something electrical caught fire in that apartment. Flames worked their way up the middle of the building's exterior on the east side to get under the roof's eaves and into the attic space. The fire then zoomed south through the attic to eat its way into ceilings of the second-floor apartments. About the same time, flames sprang from the roof.