LAYTON, Utah — Officials in Layton responded to an apartment complex fire in Layton on Friday morning. Several residents were displaced and multiple officers were injured.
The Layton City Attorney, Clint Drake, answered questions at the Layton Meadows apartment complex and told reporters that a resident had called in the fire at 5:48 a.m.
Watch: FOX 13 News viewer captures video of Layton apartment fire
Layton police tell FOX 13 News that at least 80 residents had to be evacuated due to the fire. One resident had to be treated on the scene for smoke inhalation.
Watch: Full briefing from officials on Layton apartment fire
Four Layton officers were also injured in the response. Those officers were being treated for smoke inhalation. Two officers were treated at the scene, and two others had to be taken to the hospital.
Officials say the fire was contained to a single building at the apartment complex but three buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
The building where the fire was located had 37 residents that were in the building. All of the residents are accounted for. Red Cross is on the scene and helping those who are displaced.
While crews were responding to the fire, they had to deal with a water main break that occurred during the response. Fire officials tell FOX 13 News that it is common for the water mains to break during large fire responses.
Images show a large hole that appeared in the complex's parking lot.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“I was walking out, I could hear smoke detectors going off,” said Alex McMillan, who’s lived at the apartments for six months. “I could smell something, didn’t really see any smoke and I went and left for work.”
Residents joined in the effort to wake up their neighbors and get them to safety.
“I started banging on doors, just letting them know like, ‘You need to get out, there’s a fire!’ and I just kept running back up and down the stairs,” said resident Marina Marley.
One of the residents Marley woke up was Becca Hargrove. They rushed their kids outside in the cold rain with bare feet.
“In that moment, I was like okay important things were my kids and my dogs,” said Hargrove. “Threw clothes in a bag for them - forgot socks, forgot clothes, forgot wipes.”
We met Lewis Jex at the evacuation center set up by the American Red Cross of Northern Utah.
He had just moved to Layton Meadows all of a couple weeks ago, saying it was cozy and close to his job.
“All of my stuff was in bags and everything, not even completely unpacked”
Now, the Red Cross is providing him and others with meals and resources and says there’s a whole client care and casework team that can work with them on long-term solutions. But Jex worries for what his future will hold.
“If I don’t find something soon, I’m going to be homeless. Like, I don’t have family around here or anything, so I honestly don’t know,” Jex said. “All we need is a place to stay. If there’s anybody willing to work with us, that’s all we need.”
