ST. GEORGE, Utah — Multiple people have been displaced after a fire broke out at a St. George apartment complex early Sunday morning.
In a post to Facebook, St. George Fire Department says the fire occurred at 400 East Riverside Drive, with crews deployed around 3:00 a.m.
The fire was contained to a building with 20 units, with crews from Santa Clara-Ivins, Washington, and Hurricane fire departments assisting with mutual aid resources.
Riverside Drive is expected to remain closed for a number of hours.
A fire that officials say started on a patio spread quickly through a St. George apartment complex early Sunday morning, displacing multiple people.
The St. George Fire Department said the fire moved through a shared attic that connected 20 units. Officials say up to 20 apartment units were damaged or destroyed.
The American Red Cross said dozens of people and pets were displaced after the fire.
“We don’t have anything anymore, we’re going to have to rebuild,” said Lissie Teran, who lives at the apartment complex.
Crews were called to 400 East Riverside Drive in St. George around 3 a.m. Officials say the fire started on an upper-level patio.
Teran said she woke up to people yelling early Sunday morning.
“That’s when we look up and see fire and everything is just falling down,” she explained. “We started screaming, we ran down to the safest route.”
She said she escaped with her husband, sister, brother-in-law and their cat.
“You just saw police officers running everywhere trying to save people,” she said.
The American Red Cross is helping displaced residents find housing. Teran says community members have also donated supplies.
"Those donations helped us charge our phones so that we could communicate with our families,” Teran said. "The clothes we are wearing now were donated. We could only run out with what was on our backs."
A local laundromat is also helping. Dixie Spin South is offering free laundry for people affected for the next week.
“It’s a small offering for what they’re going through but we just really want to help out,” Tairyn Nicholson, the laundromat’s general manager said.
Fire officials say some residents are staying with family or in hotels. Most are working with the American Red Cross to find housing, food, clothes, medication, and other recovery resources.
“Just grateful for this community,” Teran said. “I’m so grateful to live here.”
