RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – After flames tore through a Raleigh apartment building this weekend, some people who live there want to know why their smoke alarms didn’t go off.

Fire and water damaged several units in the building at 9401 Prince George Lane and sent four people from the building and a firefighter to the hospital, according to fire officials.

Fire officials said one woman told them a smoke alarm did go off, alerting her to the fire, but two people who live in other units in the building told CBS 17 they never heard their alarms.

Austin McMullen’s doorbell camera shows a frantic wakeup call as firefighters worked to get everyone out of his apartment building early Sunday morning.

“They were screaming, ‘Get out!’ underneath their gas masks” he said.

When he got across the street, he saw flames shooting from the roof of the building at Six Forks Station apartments. McMullen said he is grateful he got out safely but doesn’t understand why the smoke alarm in his unit didn’t go off.

“There were no alarms whatsoever that I recalled,” McMullen said.

Another person, who didn’t want to be identified, said he was fortunate his wife happened to be awake at the time the fire started a little after 6 a.m. so they could get their family out of the building.

A check of fire inspection records showed the building was inspected in May 2022 and reinspected in June. The only item noted was that there were “several fire extinguishers throughout the property that are difficult to determine if they are within the ‘inspection time frame.’”

CBS 17 went to the apartment complex office and was referred to their corporate office.

BH Management Services released a statement saying they’re still working to gather information about what happened, and don’t have enough information to comment on the status of the affected units’ smoke detectors.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.