PHOTO: A firefighter atop Arkadelphia’s ladder truck aims downward at an apartment fire early Tuesday morning, March 17, 2026. | Joel Phelps/arkadelphian.com
ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — A major structure fire broke out early Tuesday morning at Valley View Apartments, 2504 Country Club Road.
Police say all residents were able to make it out of the 12-unit complex.
Firefighters were dispatched to the apartment complex just before 6:30 a.m., before sunrise, when a 911 caller advised of a large fire as he or she was trying to get people out of the building. Initial reports, according to the 911 call, indicate that the blaze started on the second floor of the two-story complex.
By 7:20 a.m. other fire agencies were being advised that several units were fully engulfed.
Arkadelphia First Baptist Church was opening its doors as a shelter to those affected by the fire. The American Red Cross was en route to the church to provide relief services.
This is a breaking news story. We will have updates as we learn new information. Check back later for updates.
911 caller helped people from burning building
Micalah Arnold had just finished her shift at a Caddo Valley convenience store. Arnold, 19, was driving through the neighborhood when she saw the blaze. She immediately dialed 911, then commenced to helping people get away.
Arnold described the scene as hellish. “Half of the building was on fire, a car was on fire,” she said. “It was spreading, and all you could hear was the popping noises and everybody yelling ‘Help me!’ and ‘Get my kids out!’ All you could see was flames that were getting bigger and bigger.”
Arnold aided someone she didn’t know in helping other people she didn’t know. “We were getting them off the balconies, and getting people away from the fire,” she said. Among the four or five apartments she helped to evacuate, those Arnold assisted included a family of five, an elderly woman and a man and his dog.
Asked why she staid around to help after calling 911, Arnold said it was a simple decision. “If that was my family [in the burning apartments] I would want someone to help,” she said. “I just couldn’t keep driving, seeing all these people losing their homes and trying to get out. I know they lost all their stuff today, everything they worked for.”
Mother threw kids from balcony for rescue
Sandra Green, a mother of six children, acted quickly when she became aware of the blaze. “I ran in and snatched my kids out of bed,” she said.
The family exited their upstairs apartment to find no way to the ground level, as by then the stairwell had completely burned. What happened next was a miracle.
A neighbor “appeared out of nowhere,” Green said. “He told me to throw the kids, so I just started throwing them down the balcony.”
One by one, Green tossed her children — ranging in ages from 1 to 16 years old — to safety below. Green was able to escape then, when an Arkadelphia fireman showed up with a ladder to begin the rescue.
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