COLUMBUS (WCMH) – The Columbus Fire department said some residents trapped inside an apartment complex fire, jumped from third-story windows to escape the blaze on Tuesday morning.

Chief Steve Martin said neighbors played a big part in helping residents to safety.

It happened around 2:40am in the 1400-block of West Rich Street.

“I was afraid for Ruby. I didn’t think I could get her out,” said Christopher Smith. “I thought she was going to die in there.”

Smith and his wife Ruby Daniels were asleep when they heard glass breaking. At first, they thought there was a fight happening in the parking lot. Then, someone broke the window to her bedroom.

“There was a girl out there. I don’t know exactly who she was,” said Daniels. “She told me, ‘Come on. I’m certified in CPR. I’m going to get you out of here, baby. Come on,’ and she started pulling and pulling.”

Smith said they were trapped, the hallway was engulfed in flames.

“I’m just grateful the neighbors helped us,” he said. “Total strangers, but they came to our aide.”

In the building next door to the fire, 74-year-old Buddy Ehret came out to help and saw people jumping from the third floor window.

“Everybody was at the bottom saying, ‘Come on, come on! Jump! Jump!’ This girl said, ‘I can’t! I’m afraid!’ We said, ‘Jump! We’ll get you,'” said Ehret. “All of us here working together, we got it done. I’m just glad there were no fatalities. I’m glad of that.”

Fire investigators have been trying to figure out why this happened. It’s not known yet whether suspicious activity caused the fire.

The Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Dodge Recreation Center (667 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus). They’re providing basic necessities for families displaced by the fire.

“Food, shelter, blankets, water, some of them of course need to replace medications and important documents,” said Red Cross spokesperson Therese Shuler. “We have case managers working on that to help them get back to where they were before the fire happened.”