LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several people were rescued Tuesday morning from a smoky fire at an apartment building near Old Louisville, according to the Louisville Fire Department.
The fire was reported at the Hampton Hall apartment building around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. That's at York and 2nd streets, which were blocked by Louisville Metro Police vehicles as firefighters worked to put out the smoke and flames. Louisville Fire said the first crews were on scene within three minutes.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said one person rescued from the building was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Several other people made it out unharmed. O'Neill said there was no truth to reports that people jumped from the building. He couldn't confirm Tuesday if the smoke alarms and sprinklers in the building worked once the fire started.
At least a half dozen firetrucks and around 40 firefighters helped knock down the fire as dark smoke came from the windows.
"There was an apartment on fire on the fifth floor," O'Neill said. "It was contained to that one apartment. We did have multiple rescues from that floor and from the area, and there is smoke damage throughout the building."
Fire crews used ladder trucks to try to reach upper floors. O'Neill said a big concern was the smoke making its way through the apartment building.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill speak with media after an apartment fire near Old Louisville Tuesday morning. (WDRB Photo by Darby Beane) Oct. 8, 2024
"So you've got the floor where the fire is, the floor directly above because of the spread of heat and smoke, but then with smoke, you also have the very top floor," he said.
According to O'Neill, there is no cause of the fire determined yet. That will be part of the ongoing investigation.
From the busted windows, several firefighters could be seen on working in the upper floors of the apartment.
"You're checking to make sure that every ember is extinguished, that there's no fire hiding somewhere in the walls," O'Neill said. "So we will tear off all the drywall off the walls, we'll get into the ceilings and pull those to open those, clear off all that debris to make sure we can see every little nook and cranny."
Lynn Collins, who lives on the sixth floor, said she wasn't home when the fire started, but, when she learned about it, came back to the area to see what was going on.
"I tell you what, we need prayers for all the people inside," Collins said. "I don't know how lucky they are and I hope they can get their medical needs and all their other needs taken care of and they didn't lose anything."
She had two cats inside her apartment. Firefighters were able to get at least one of them safely to her while she was still at the scene Tuesday.
Another resident, Joshua Robinson, said he lived on the eighth floor. Unlike Collins, Robinson was home when the fire started. He said he could smell smoke and heard someone banging on this door yelling, "fire!"
"I just ran down the stairs, and, as soon as I got near the elevator, I saw the fire," Robinson said. "So I closed the door, ran back up to the sixth floor (and) came back down on the other side."
The Red Cross said it has six disaster responders helping nearly 40 people from this fire. A spokesperson said its team is "working closely with the property manager to address immediate needs, and have resources on stand-by to open a reception center or shelter if needed."
Tuesday afternoon, Louisville Fire spokesperson Capt. Donovan Sims said the apartment building is currently "uninhabitable" until smoke alarms and sprinklers are working. He said a 24-hour fire watch will be in place until then.
Sims also said the person hospitalized is expected to survive.
Anyone in need of assistance can call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
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