Two adults and four children were hospitalized after the pre-dawn blaze near Dobson and Baseline roads.
MESA, AZ. — A third-alarm fire ripped through an eight-unit apartment building early Saturday, Jan. 24, sending six people to burn centers and collapsing part of the roof as firefighters from Mesa, Tempe and Chandler battled heavy flames near Dobson and Baseline roads.
Authorities said crews were dispatched just before 2 a.m. to the building along Pennington, where they arrived to find residents fleeing and thick smoke pushing from multiple units. Two adults and four children suffered serious burns, according to Mesa Fire and Medical. The blaze forced a defensive strategy after part of the roof gave way, limiting interior access. About 30 residents were evacuated and bussed to a nearby school for shelter as temperatures hovered in the 40s. The cause remained under investigation late Saturday, and fire officials said it could take days to determine the origin once the structure is safe to enter.
Firefighters pegged the first alarm at about 1:54 a.m., upgraded quickly as flames broke through the attic and raced the roofline. Crews reported a stairwell cut off by heat and smoke inside one unit, forcing a family to descend through the fire to escape. One child was first taken to Banner Desert Medical Center and then airlifted to a burn center; the other three children and two adults were transported by ambulance. “Because of the isolation of the stairwell in the unit itself, the family essentially had to come down through the fire and hot smoke to exit and actually save themselves,” Mesa Fire Capt. Chris Tiller said. Mutual-aid companies helped surround the building with hose lines while truck companies worked to vent the attic and protect neighboring structures.
Officials said the children ranged from about six months to 13 years old. All six patients were listed with serious burn injuries as of Saturday evening; hospital conditions were not immediately released. Crews said the response was complicated when a vehicle struck a fire hydrant outside a nearby fire station during the incident, affecting water flow until the system was adjusted. Roughly 30 residents from the eight-unit building were evacuated to a nearby junior high school for shelter and accountability. An on-scene neighbor described cradling an infant while waiting for medics. Another resident said she woke to flames outside her window and banged on doors as smoke filled the breezeway. The Red Cross and city victim services were called to assist displaced tenants through the weekend.
Neighbors and family members shared a few details from the frantic escape. The children’s grandfather, John Peshlakai, said a 6-year-old granddaughter alerted the household before flames spread. “She woke up first and went to wake up her mommy and daddy and at that point the whole place was engulfed in flames,” Peshlakai said. He told reporters the girl suffered minor burns but was out of the hospital Saturday, while her parents and three siblings were intubated in intensive care. A resident, Tamlyn Ashcroft, said she helped carry the family’s 6-month-old to safety. “I’m holding the baby still, and I’ve never held a baby in my life,” Ashcroft said, describing the scene as chaotic and searingly hot as sirens converged.
The affected structure sits in a dense stretch of older garden-style apartments west of downtown Mesa, with shared attics that can speed fire travel once flames reach the void space. Fire officials said the roof collapse forced crews to pull back from interior rooms and regroup into a defensive posture, a common tactic when truss systems are compromised. Investigators typically start with the areas of heaviest damage and witness accounts to plot a potential origin, then work through appliances, electrical service and any open-flame sources. No accelerants or criminal factors had been identified, and officials emphasized that early conclusions are tentative until lab tests and structural shoring allow a thorough examination.
By late Saturday, city inspectors and fire investigators were cataloging unit-by-unit damage, tagging unsafe areas and coordinating with property management on temporary fencing. Mesa Fire and Medical planned to return Sunday to assist residents with retrieving essential items if conditions allow. The department said an initial report will summarize known facts and resource counts, with a fuller cause-and-origin report expected after lab analysis and interviews. If structural integrity permits, investigators will walk the path of fire spread through the attic and stairwell where the family escaped. Any code compliance issues, including fire alarms and detection systems, will be referred to the city’s building safety office.
Residents described an acrid smoke plume visible for blocks and a rain of embers drifting over carports as crews rotated fresh companies to the front. A woman who lost her first home in the blaze said neighbors focused on helping the injured family even as their own units burned. “They were the kindest people I’ve ever met,” she said, adding that she watched firefighters cut openings in the roof while hoses hammered the eaves. A Mesa police officer at the perimeter said traffic was shut along portions of Dobson and Baseline while engines laid large-diameter hose, and city buses were repurposed as warming shelters until the school gym opened before dawn.
As of Saturday night, the scene remained under fire watch, with investigators planning to reenter the building Sunday morning, Jan. 25, once daylight and shoring crews arrive. Officials said updates on the patients’ conditions and the cause are expected after those assessments. The next scheduled briefing could come Sunday afternoon if structural engineers clear additional access.
Author note: Last updated January 25, 2026.