No injuries were reported as firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze.

ARLINGTON, Texas — A three-alarm apartment fire damaged 16 units of a residential building Monday afternoon, displacing 25 people, including five children, the Arlington Fire Department said. 

Firefighters were called at 1:34 p.m. after reports of a fire at the Oak Chase Apartments building. Units responding to the scene observed a large column of smoke and requested a second alarm for additional resources before arriving on scene.

When fire broke through the roof, a third alarm was called to bring additional personnel and equipment, according to the Arlington Fire Department. The blaze was brought under control about 20 minutes after the first unit arrived.

One resident, Sam Semi, said he was returning home when the fire broke out and narrowly avoided serious injury.

“I was just walking into my apartment. As I unlocked my door a big blaze of smoke shot out at my face. I turned around,” Semi said.

Semi said he could not enter his unit but went door to door alerting neighbors before emergency services arrived. His apartment was among those destroyed, and he lost all of his belongings inside.

“It’s a big loss but one thing about it, I’m still here,” Semi said. “All the materialistic stuff, we can get that back.”

The American Red Cross has been notified and is assisting displaced residents with temporary housing and support services.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and is under investigation. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.