Caught on camera: Eastside fire leaves Tucson woman hospitalized | Local News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – One of the victims of a Sunday morning fire at an eastside housing complex remains in the hospital Monday.

Naomi Williams, a 69-year-old resident at Oxford Homes near 22nd Street and Wilmot Road, is recovering from smoke inhalation at Tucson Medical Center after the incident.

The door camera outside Williams’ condo captured the frightening moment smoke began pouring out from a door across the hall Sunday morning. Before the smoke builds, a man is seen crawling outside the front door as flames appear deeper inside the unit.

“Oh my god, hurry! “Call the fire department!” he tells neighbors.

Williams’ daughter, Julia Muirhead, described the moment her mother, who was asleep, was alerted to the danger.

“One of the neighbors from downstairs comes over to my mother’s door and knocks on her door and says ‘There’s a fire, there’s a fire!” Muirhead told News 4 Tucson.

Williams, who Muirhead said has difficulty walking and is unable to speak due to previous strokes, managed to escape the flames. Her door camera captured the scene as an EMT arrived at the neighbor’s door.

“Her whole place is black inside, her face was black when they got in and got her out,” Muirhead said. “They had to bust in and get her out.”

The Tucson Fire Department reported that crews arrived just before 9 a.m. on Sunday. One individual refused hospital treatment, the department said, while two others were transported. The fire, which did not spread to other units, has displaced four people from their homes.

An employee in management for Oxford Homes told News 4 Tucson Monday night that two units were condemned following the fire. The City of Tucson’s Code Enforcement Division condemned the unit where the fire occurred as well as the one below, the management employee said.

Muirhead shared that her mother is recovering from smoke inhalation and is being monitored to prevent another stroke. She will stay at Tucson Medical Center at least through Monday night.

Despite the ordeal, Williams is reportedly doing much better than Sunday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Tucson Fire Department.