Residents of a Fort McMurray apartment complex were allowed back into the building Tuesday to retrieve what property they could.

The north wing of the building was entirely gutted. (CBC)

The residents were divided into small groups and given five minutes to collect whatever personal property they could.

People were seen tossing hockey bags full of clothing and other property out of windows and off balconies.

Others used their time to haul out flat screen TVs and computers.

Fire started outside building

The fire at the four-storey 160-unit Parson's Landing complex in the Timberlea area started at 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Nobody was hurt, but the damage is extensive.

Investigators believe the fire started on the exterior of the building crept its way up in the attic and spread from there.

Residents were still talking Tuesday about the failure of fire alarms to alert them.

"If it wasn't for the resolve of the people in the building, banging and screaming on doors and the fire department kick in doors and saving people there would have been many deaths," said Melanie Hart.

Hart and her husband Dave, who live in the south wing of the building, said their alarm eventually went off, but not before the north wing was fully on fire.

"With our alarm going off, to us opening our blinds was a matter of seconds, there was at least four units over there that were engulfed in flames," he said.

Kirk Spencer was in his north-wing apartment completely unaware the unit above him was in flames until his roommate began yelling.

'You got to get out!'

"'You got to get out, you got to get out,'" he recalled hearing. "I ran down the stairs and when I came out everything was on fire," he said.

Scott Machan and his wife were awaken by firefighters. (CBC)

"We have an alarm in our room," he said. "We also have a bright white light that flashes and a buzzer that were not going off."

Scott Machan and his wife escaped with just the clothes on their back.

"We were awoken to some thumping and banging in the hallway," said resident Scott Machan. "We looked out the door to see some firemen and water coming down the hallway."

"Firemen were screaming to get out," he said. "We then turned and looked out the back window and could see flames flying from the apartment next to us."

"When we left, the alarms still weren't going off; smoke detectors still not going off," he said.

Fire investigators are still looking for the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile people living in the units not directly affected by the flames will be allowed back into their apartments for a brief period Tuesday morning to retrieve get whatever belongings they can.