FLORENCE, Ky. — A fire at a Florence apartment complex Wednesday morning left at least 70 people without a home and sent eight others to the hospital, according to officials.
Crews with the Florence Fire Department were called to the Champion Club Apartments on Parkland Place around 1:45 a.m. for a fire. When crews arrived on scene, they saw flames coming from the roof of the apartments.
Some firefighters used ladders to rescue people from their apartments while others worked to put the flames out. The fire chief at the scene also said some residents jumped from their apartments to the grass below in order to escape the fire.
"I seen one person that was laying on the ground that they were takin' care of," resident Donnie Tate said. "There was a couple of people that was traveling through the building, screaming and knocking on doors to let everybody know..."
The Red Cross arrived on scene to help those who requested help. According to Marita Salkowski with the Red Cross, the organization provided hotel rooms for 29 families who were displaced from the fire. Other people who were displaced from the fire are staying with family or friends Salkowski said.
The condition of the eight people who were injured in the fire is unknown at this time.
Officials said the fire is now under control, but they are still investigating what caused the fire.
BREAKING: Up to 100 people were displaced after a fire ripped through a Florence apartment complex. The fire chief says 8 people were taken to area hospitals. We’re live with the latest right now on GMTS. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/JuV9oPrEIa
— Ally Kraemer (@AllyKraemer) April 28, 2021
