The fire happened around 1:30 Wednesday morning at an apartment complex near Minnewawa and Barstow in Clovis. The three alarm fire has left a total of 17 people homeless.
Flames lit the neighborhood sky early as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Some residents rushed to make it out alive.
"Yeah, yeah, the lady over here came over and got us...our, our alarms did not go off," said resident, Ruth Ann Theford.
Ruth Ann and her husband Dan didn't have the slightest idea today would be the day their home burned to the ground. The inside of their apartment is almost completely gutted and the floors are saturated with water.
The couple uses what time they have to sift through the rubble to salvage what they can.
In all, eight apartments caught fire. One man was taken to CRMC for burn injuries, but has since been released. The cause of the fire is still unknown and he damage is estimated at one million dollars. Seventeen people are left without a home.
"In coordination with the Red Cross, the property management company is coordinating housing for the short term as well as the long term," said Chad Fitzgerald with the Clovis Fire Department.
As workers blocked off the damaged apartment, the Theford's pack the inside of their car with what's left.
The whole ordeal is emotional for the couple, but they said they have what's important and applaud the fire department for their work.