BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Fire crews worked to put out a fire at the Lost Springs Apartments complex in Benton County on Saturday, July 22, according to the Little Flock Fire Department (LFFD).
The fire took place at around 6:36 p.m., according to officials. When crews arrived, they reported the "second floor of an apartment building fully involved" in flames and immediately evacuated tenants.
Witness Eli Shoe said that "I was just heading home on highway 102 like anyone else would be doing, and I saw in the distance, some smoke. I thought that it was just enough smoke, and just dark enough to investigate, so I just tried to follow the direction of the smoke. Luckily, I got it first try and went into here, and I still see smoke coming out of it," said Shoe. "I just got straight to work, knocking on the front doors, making sure everyone got out of there, which everyone was, thankfully. Then once cops and stuff started to show up about three to five minutes later, that’s when I start recording the video of the fire,” recalled Shoe.
5NEWS spoke with one person who lives on the bottom floor and she says that water damage in her apartment is mainly on the carpet, and her furniture is ruined with smoke damage. Red Cross Communication Manager John Brimley said the organization is stepping in to help.
"At this point, we've opened five cases, helping five families to recover after such a devastating loss. We've provided a safe place to stay, some immediate financial assistance, and some shelter and maybe some food," said Brimley.
The LFFD confirmed a total of 12 apartments were damaged— displacing the residents in those units… Brimley says the organization is helping those families transition into those next steps.
Additional fire departments from Rogers, Pea Ridge, and Avoca assisted LFFD in putting out the fire within "a few hours," according to officials.
LFFD says no one was injured in the fire and the scene has been cleared.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but is being investigated.
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