2-alarm apartment fire in West Whiteland Township

WEST WHITELAND TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- A two alarm fire damaged part of an apartment complex in West Whiteland Township, Chester County.

It happened around 5:40 p.m. Thursday at the Wynter Brooke Apartments in the 1300 block of Phoenixville Pike.

Crews arrived to find flames showing from the roof of the two-story building.

A second alarm was quickly struck.

Viewer video showed flamed ripping through the roof.

Firefighters initially attacked the blaze but then went into defensive mode.

CJ Whiting and his wife were looking for a new house when he got the call his apartment was on fire.

"I rushed right from the house we were looking at to come to the scene. Now we are just looking for our cat. We got our dog, now we are just looking for Victoria," said Whiting.

Whiting says it appears all of his belongings are destroyed.

"I'm holding up pretty well considering. My wife is suffering quite a bit right now," said Whiting.

Firefighters say strong winds hampered efforts to put out the fire but they were able to get things under control in about a half hour.

Two neighboring apartments also suffered damage.

No injuries were reported but fire officials say eight people have been displaced.

While Whiting searched for his cat. Mark Goodwin looked for his son's dog.

"She's very skittish. If anyone can find her, my son and daughter are very, very upset but we feel terrible for the people that lost their homes," said Mark Goodwin.

The displaced residents are staying with relatives.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.