Sunday May 18, 2008

Charlottesville Fire officials were still investigating the cause of a blaze that threatened several apartments on Jefferson Park Avenue late Saturday night, but several eyewitnesses tell CBS19 they know what happened.

One couple was walking up Shamrock when they say they saw fireworks shot from an apartment building just before 11:30. Initially, they thought they heard gunshots and called the police to report shots fired. They say they then saw the hillside above the railroad tracks explode into flames, some shooting 40-50 feet into the air.

Another witness saw the same thing; instead of calling police, he says he went door-to-door in the apartments, getting people out in case the fire did spread to the complex.

As fire investigators try to determine an official cause for the fire, stick with the CBS19 News at 6:30 and 11 to learn more.