Union Road residents evacuated from 3-story apartment building as it burned

A fire in Gastonia damaged a 12-unit apartment building in the 1200 block of Union Road early Sunday.

Firefighters received a call for help at 1:36 a.m. When they arrived at the Patriot Apartments, near East Garrison Road, they found a three-story building ablaze, with smoke and flames visible outside.

Residents were evacuated and no one was injured, according to a report from the Gastonia Fire Department.

A bystander’s video shows an inferno consuming a second-story unit and its balcony as well as the building’s roof as burning debris collects near the foundation.

Five residences had heavy damage and the remaining seven had some damage from smoke and water. The cause of the fire has not been reported.

A total of 30 emergency responders and five apparatus were on the scene. The fire was extinguished in about 25 minutes, according to the report.

This story was originally published May 15, 2016 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Union Road residents evacuated from 3-story apartment building as it burned."