The Associated Press
A car crashed into an apartment north of Nashville on Thursday, sparking a blaze that destroyed the building and drove dozens from their homes into below-freezing temperatures.
None of the apartment residents was injured, although one firefighter suffered minor burns to his neck and ears, said District Fire Chief Charles Shannon of the Nashville Metro Fire Department.
The car, which didn’t appear to have license plates, jumped a retaining wall and hit one end of the Highland Ridge apartments, he said. He said the driver, and possibly a passenger, fled.
The 32-unit building is about eight miles north of downtown Nashville next to Interstate 65, and the fire could be seen by rush-hour commuters. Winds gusting up to 35 mph fanned the flames and blew smoke across the highway.
Twenty of the units were occupied, but many of the residents were still at work, Shannon said. The fire was extinguished in two hours.
“It was engulfed when we got here,” Shannon said. “The gas in the car, wood and carpet all contributed to it, and the wind. Everything just came together.”
Apartment managers told residents they would be put in other vacant properties, said Jill Gorin, spokeswoman for the local Red Cross chapter.
The complex is managed by the Freeman Webb Company. Staff members at the apartment office referred inquiries to Daniel Ford, who did not immediately return a phone message left Thursday evening.