“We were jerking people out of their homes, banging on doors. I even had some woman throw her naked baby at me,” Bronnenberg said.

Some residents had no idea their building was on fire. Tracy Caplinger was one of them. Caplinger was asleep inside her apartment when she heard someone yell “call 911”. Caplinger rose from her bed and looked out the window only to see her neighbors staring up at her building from the street.

After grabbing her fiancé and a few pictures, Caplinger fled the building.

Anderson Assistant Fire Chief Dave Cravens said firefighters cleared all rooms in all apartments, convinced that each resident had made it safely out of the building. Firefighters also saved a dog trapped in one apartment.

Cravens said the fire was extinguished by 6:02 p.m. Sunday but firefighters remained on scene to extinguish small flare-up fires and hot spots in the building.The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Two buses were parked at Maple Grove Church of God, just blocks from the fire, to give residents relief from the 88-degree heat while a single bus was parked in front of the burning structure, offering firefighters an air-conditioned break.

The Indianapolis Red Cross was contacted and arrived at 6 p.m. and began coordinating temporary housing for the 48 newly homeless residents.

While the fire burned, residents lined up along 38th Street as the fire engulfed the second story of the building. Some comforted loved ones who’d lost everything while others shook their heads in a mix of disbelief and empathy.

Shelton Sims lives in the complex near the site of the fire and said the fire made him think about his own apartment. “Just seeing how quickly this went up, it makes you wonder if everyone around you, how safe they are, how careless they could be.”

Anderson Community Schools board member Tobi Jones said Sunday night that families affected by the fire should not worry about buying new school uniforms for their children. She said she’s asked principals to check their uniform reserves to supply the schoolchildren with new uniforms.

After spending the afternoon pulling neighbors from their homes and watching flames destroy the building, Bronnenberg and her roommates have decided to try and help those displaced by the flames.

Monday, Bronnenberg and a handful of others will set up a table at 8 a.m. in front of the Hoosier Woods office within the complex. They are hoping to collect household donations to help their neighbors rebuild what was lost in the fire.

While the fire did not spread to much of the first story, Bronnenberg said flames weren’t the only threat to residents. “Everything below is going to be water damaged — even where the floor did not fall in.”

All 48 residents, including those whose apartments were only flooded, are going to need new household items, she said.

Bronnenberg said she will be collecting donations Monday for as long as donors show up and has even secured a van to pick up furniture donations that donors cannot bring to the apartment complex.