EL PASO, Texas -- Fire crews were in northeast El Paso battling a blaze that happened near Fred Wilson and Dyer Tuesday afternoon just after 2 p.m.

Flames flared and smoke was thick, staying low to the ground making it hard to breath and see on Fred Wilson.

“One main concern was the smoke going to the residents here off of Fred Wilson,” said John Concha of the El Paso Fire Department.

“I was having a little bit of a problem (breathing),” said witness Phil Stafford.

The reason the fire was able to grow so large was because of Mother Nature.

“The wind wasn't helping, it was helping spread the fire and that's one of the reasons we upgraded it to a full response,” said Concha.

“At first I was (concerned) because the wind changed and it started blowing this way to the apartment but eventually it shifted again,” said Stafford.

“Once they determined that nobody was in any of the four structures they went into a defensive mode which is surround and drown,” said Concha.

“There was ash falling everywhere and it was pretty warm,” said Stafford.

Concha said the fire could've been even worse without the teamwork between Fort Bliss and El Paso firefighters.

“It's very beneficial to work together and this is an example of how the mutual aid agreement works,” said Concha.

Concha said nobody was injured and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.