The fire broke out at 600 West Grant Street, off 7th Avenue, in downtown Phoenix on Sunday night, the Phoenix Fire Department said.
In an update posted on Instagram in the early hours on Monday, the fire department said the fire had broken out in an apartment complex that was still under construction.
The fire department said Phoenix Police reported that shots had been fired in the area as crews worked on containing the blaze.
“Other bystanders were reported jumping a fence into the fire area while crews were working,” the department added.
A post shared by Phoenix Fire Department (@phoenixfiredepartment) on Jun 8, 2020 at 12:50am PDT
Details about the cause of the fire weren’t immediately available, but the fire department said investigators are at the scene. No injuries have been reported.
The fire department added that a number of roads around around 7th Avenue and Grant Street were closed.
ABC15 reported that more than 200 firefighters are working to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other properties.
According to the station, the building is a four-story apartment complex that was approximately 40 percent completed.
The Arizona Public Services outage map showed that up to 1,000 people in the vicinity of the fire were without power.
According to the website, the outage started at around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday after a service interruption to a major power line. Field personnel have been sent to the area to determine the cause of the outage and power is expected to be restored at around 1.30 a.m.
The Arizona Department of Transportation posted photos showing the fire could be seen from Interstate 10 and Interstate 17.
“Smoke can be seen from the freeway due to a structure fire near downtown Phoenix,” the department tweeted alongside the images.
Others also posted pictures and videos on social media, showing the fire could be seen from miles away.
Marisa J. Lown shared a picture on Twitter saying the blaze could be seen from the Coronado neighborhood of Phoenix, more than three miles away. “Hope everyone is safe,” she added alongside the picture.
Brian Snyder also shared a picture of the fire, adding that it could be seen from Fountain Hills, a town in Maricopa County almost 30 miles from the scene of the fire in Phoenix.
Caroline Kempe posted a video, taken from a distance, showing plumes of smoke billowing up into the sky.
The Phoenix Fire Department has been contacted for additional comment.
The fire broke out as an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remained in effect for Phoenix.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a declaration of emergency and imposed a statewide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on May 31 in a bid to quell any unrest amid nationwide protests against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. The curfew is set to expire on Monday.
