The fire was the third major blaze at a Durham apartment complex in recent weeks.

Firefighters were called to the Brogden Court Apartments around 10 a.m. Tuesday and arrived to find flames shooting out of the roof and vents of building C, Durham Fire Battalion Chief Luther S. Smith said. The fire had burned into the attic of the building, and firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

Seven apartments in the eight-unit building were vacant, and the family in the occupied apartment managed to escape unharmed, Smith said. Flames destroyed two of the vacant apartments on the second floor, Smith said. The fire also cut power to the remaining apartments in the building, and management at the complex relocated the family who was living there. About 25 firefighters had the flames under control within 10 to 15 minutes, Smith said. "Luckily, no one was hurt," he said.

Durham fire Investigator Jody Morton said the fire was intentionally set in a second-story breezeway near the apartment where the family had been living. "We determined that it is an arson fire and there are four juvenile petitions that were issued," Morton said. Morton would not comment about a possible motive. "We're not allowed to give out any information since they are juveniles," he said. But he said the juveniles used "available materials" to start the fire. Donnie Phillips, Durham's chief juvenile court counselor, said the juveniles, who are all under the age of 16, will be in court for their first appearances "in the next few days." He said they were being taken to the Broad Street Home for juveniles Tuesday night.

A larger, more volatile fire displaced 79 people from the Royal Oaks Apartments when a 20-unit building caught fire at the 3554 Weymouth St. complex on April 6. Officials determined that an overloaded extension cord was at fault for that blaze.