8 families left homeless following fire that struck apartment building twice

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Eight families are starting 2019 without a home, and the Red Cross is helping them, after they all lost their home in an apartment fire.

Residents are still shocked by what happened overnight.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet," said Tania Peraza. "I know it will, but right now, I think I'm in shock."

"I'm very upset," said Kolste. "I'm feeling like I'm not here, because I can't believe all of this happening."

First, at around 12:30 a.m., a small porch fire erupted at an apartment on Mountain View Road in North Phoenix.

"It had not came over to mine yet," said Kolste. "There was a little bit of smoke damage, but everything was intact."

Kolste said a couple hours later, she was told she could go back into her apartment. Phoenix Fire officials say when crews checked in at 6:00 a.m., everything was fine. Just 45 minutes later, Kolste says she woke up to flames coming over onto her unit.

"I had to get out of there," said Kolste. "I called 911 and got my purse, and that's basically it."

Kolste lost all of her belongs and her two cats. One was found dead, the other ran away.

"Could've died in there, and for the fire department to let us back in," said Kolste.

Right now, Phoenix Fire is looking into the cause of this fire, and what caused it to start again after it was supposedly put out. Thankfully, no one was injured in this fire.