SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About 20 people are without a home after a fire at the Madison Apartments Sunday night.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said one person was hurt, but the situation could have been a lot worse.
Intense moments were captured in videos posted to the fire district's social media as crews quickly took action.
Capt. Parker Wilbourn, spokesperson for the fire district, said when firefighters arrived just before 11 a.m., they found several residents still inside their homes.
"This can be a very scary, tragic event for many folks, especially when you're in a high occupancy - like an apartment. You have multiple units. You've got multiple families that are impacted by this, and they are in danger so, when we arrive, our first go-to is to protect life," Capt. Wilbourn said.
First on their agenda is to search and evacuate anyone inside the apartments and then use strategic methods to stop the buildings from burning.
"Got on the scene quickly. Put hose lines where they needed to go. Our truck companies went to the roof. They cut several holes to really cut that fire off in its tracks, and they actually saved probably upwards of 10 apartments from burning," Capt. Wilbourn said.
It can be scary for families, but Capt. Wilbourn said fires like these happen often.
"Metro Fire is very busy. We go on average two to three structure fires every single day, so we see this all the time. The community doesn't see this all the time," Capt. Wilbourn said.
He said anyone could potentially be caught up in a fire at a moment's notice. It's important to make sure that your smoke detectors work and that you have an exit plan out of every bedroom. People should also go over that plan with family members so that everyone is aware of where you're going to meet.
As the fire remains under investigation, Metro Fire is telling residents to contact the American Red Cross for housing assistance.
"We provided immediate assistance to 11 residents occupying 7 units. This included funding for hotel and food, mental health referrals, direct health services referrals, comfort kits (toiletries, essentials, etc), and blankets," a Red Cross spokesperson told ABC10.
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