Residents of a Petrolia apartment building are watching as Petrolia/North Enniskillen and Wyoming firefighters battle a blaze on Greenfield Street in Petrolia.

Just before 2:30 Sunday afternoon, firefighters were called to the building owned by the County of Lambton when a building resident saw smoke coming from a second floor apartment.

Firefighters were on the scene in minutes and for a time, only small amounts of smoke were seen. Later, flames shot through the window on the second storey as thick black smoke came out in billows before firefighters were able to get it under control.

Residents, many without coats, are standing in the parking lot or sidewalks, sitting in cars and ambulances or in lawn chairs provided by the fire department’s SORT Team.

As firefighters made their way up the stairs and to the apartment, the man who lived there arrived. He was at the drug store when the fire broke out. He stood talking to police, his shopping bag in his hand, as police tried to determine what might of happened.

It appears all residents got out, however some left pets behind.

This is the second fire at the geared-to-income apartment building in a year. In June, residents were evacuated after multiple units were damaged in a late night fire.

Those units are still under renovation.

At 3:12 pm Sunday, firefighters were still working at the scene.