Chapel Hill apartment fire results in casualty

At approximately 7:28 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, the Chapel Hill Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 215 Schultz St. Upon arrival, crews reported a working structure fire at 217 Schultz St. with a reported victim trapped in the unit.

Firefighters initiated a successful search and rescue attempt for the victim in unit 217. The victim was located and transported to UNC Hospitals within two minutes. The victim was later pronounced dead by UNC Hospital staff.

Fire crews reported the fire under control at 8:38 a.m. and the fire completely extinguished at 9:36 a.m.

Fire companies from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, New Hope and Parkwood responded to the fire. Emergency units from Orange County Emergency Management and South Orange Rescue also responded to the incident. The American Red Cross provided assistance to 11 displaced residents.

Five apartment units were damaged due to fire, smoke and water. The cause of the fire and an estimated damage amount has not been determined.

The apartment unit did contain a working smoke detector but did not have a sprinkler system.