WEST JORDAN, Utah — It was a terrifying Friday night for those at the Cascade Springs Apartment Complex in West Jordan.
“I see a big fire in the window, and so scared because I never see that,” said Lucia Calata. “I say, 'I have my phone, [I'll] call 911!'”
It was around 9 p.m. when a fire set several apartments ablaze.
Salt Lake County
West Jordan apartment complex fire displaces dozens from homes
“Someone knocking on the door telling us to get out of the apartment,” said Peter Mukuru, who is currently displaced. “We got out, saw a big fire under the third-floor balcony.”
According to West Jordan Fire, the blaze started on the third floor. No one was hurt, but by Saturday morning, residents had no choice but to see what was left.
“We're just trying to help those who are going to be displaced from the apartments to gather their belongings that are not damaged by the fire or the water,” said Bishop Scott Jurges of the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward. “We'll find a place that we can put them.”
The level of damage varied, and West Jordan Fire said residents in 24 apartments needed to be displaced. Eight units received water damage, 12 received smoke damage, and the rest are a total loss.
“There wasn't any damage, thankfully, in our apartment… We can't live in our apartment for now,” said Emma Watkins. "I’m actually going to go with my parents. They have an extra room that I’m going to go stay in.”
“Water inside. Water everywhere. The roof, like parts fell a little bit,” Mukuru added.
“We're going to be supporting people with shelters,” said Matt Stevens with the American Red Cross. "The apartment manager, what we're understanding is they have multiple sister properties that are close by, and so we're going to work with them to try to get those people transitioned in as quickly as possible.”
Many who lived at the apartment complex had renter’s insurance, and those that have major damage will be eligible for financial assistance.
“We're going to have inspectors out Monday morning finding out which units are suitable for habitation,” said West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton, "see if some of the units the damage is minimal enough that they could move back in sooner.”
No matter how terrifying it was, Watkins said she felt a sense of comfort in her community.
“People that I've never talked to, they were like, 'Are you guys okay? Do you have everything out?'” she said. "It was really nice to kind of see strangers just come together and help each other out to make sure that we're all going to be okay.”
An overnight shelter will be available at West Hills Middle School.
If you want to help out, officials are encouraging you to donate to your local Red Cross, since they are doing assessments on what items will be needed moving forward.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
