Nearby cars damaged during major Charlotte construction site fire

The heat from the fire charred several cars.
An unknown number of cars were damaged during a five-alarm fire at a nearby apartment complex under construction.
Published: May. 19, 2023 at 7:26 AM EDT
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Dozens of people ran from the area of a major apartment construction fire in Charlotte’s SouthPark area yesterday and were forced to abandon their cars in the parking garage next to the fire – at this hour, they still haven’t been allowed back in.

[CFD: 15 workers rescued, 2 unaccounted for in Charlotte construction site fire]

First – take a look at this video that shows just how intense this fire was – Charlotte Fire said about 2,000 degrees!

An apartment building still under construction became engulfed with flames on Thursday morning.

Jack Seilus, shot this video showing the exact moment the building collapsed.

Then another video from Sherita Hall shows a different angle on the closest structure to the fire -- a parking garage just a few feet away. The flames reach all the way to the parking deck.

The heat from the fire charring several cars – tires exploded, windows blown out – the interiors melted – We’re not sure exactly how many cars were impacted.

And again so far folks have not been able to get back in there - that’s one of the questions we’ll be asking this morning when Charlotte Fire has their next briefing later this morning.