Resident Ronald Ruffin grabbed his two little girls and ran as flames tore through the Wallingford Estates Apartments in Chester overnight.
"I heard a window break. I heard people yelling 'oh my God,'" Ruffin said.
55 people have been displaced from the complex located on the 2700 block of Madison Street.
"I said someone's apartment is on fire. I just jumped in clothes and got out of there,"
Throughout the afternoon, the residents who could get into their units were able to gather some belongings.
Electronics and bags of clothes were carried out as residents took stock of what could be saved and what was destroyed.
When firefighters arrived flames had already tore through the top of the building and later caused a partial roof collapse.
One firefighter was injured battling hotspots later in the morning, but he has since been released from the hospital.
"For all the smoke and stuff that was in the building, it could have been one of our lives, my grandson and my kids were in the building, so everybody's safe," resident Tina Barksdale said.
The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania was onsite throughout the day.
The disaster relief agency assisted 21 families with money for food, clothing, shoes, and winter coats. Four of the families with no place to go were provided lodging by the Red Cross. Counseling was also available.
"It's devastating, they've lost everything. So we have a spiritual care, mental health workers, here today, along with other caseworkers assessing their needs," CEO of Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross Renee Cardwell Hughes said.
Authorities believe they know which apartment the fire started in, but they say they are still investigating the cause. They do not believe this fire was suspicious.