LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A fire at an apartment complex in Louisville early Monday has left dozens of people without a home, now figuring out their next steps. 

"As soon as we got in the hallway of the apartment building we smelled smoke and so I thought, 'OK it's serious,'" said Meet Soni, who lived on a unit on the second floor. He called the fire a "wake-up call."

According to Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill, a call came in around 2:30 a.m. with concerns of a smell at the 310 @ NuLu apartment complex. Firefighters and building workers went inside with thermal imaging equipment and found nothing hazardous. O'Neill said Louisville Fire stayed on scene about an hour before leaving.

Then, around 6 a.m. fire alarms starting sounding at the apartment complex, which is at the corner of East Jefferson and South Hancock streets. O'Neill said firefighters arrived within three minutes, but the fire was spreading quickly. 

"If it's in a void space, it's going to run through the floors, through the walls, and it's difficult to get ahold of," he said. 

O'Neill said it is unclear at this point if the earlier call was related in any way to the fire that broke out around 6 a.m. That is part of the investigation.

O'Neill said everyone made it out. At least one person was taken to the hospital to be checked out, but O'Neill said that person has since been released and is OK. No firefighters were injured, but crews had to evacuate because parts of the building were falling. 

"Although you see the façade still standing, the interior, it mostly has collapsed in on itself so we are looking at this as a total loss right now," said O'Neill.

At least 100 firefighters continued to battle the fire for hours. As of 4:15 p.m. Monday, Louisville Fire still had crews on scene monitoring the building.

The American Red Cross was also on scene for hours on Monday helping residents. 

"... they don't have anything. And they're very in shock. They don't know what the next steps are right now and that's why we're here," said regional Red Cross CEO Steve Cunanan.

The 310 @ NuLu complex is made up of several buildings. Officials said 37 units were occupied in the building that caught fire. 

The massive amount of water being sprayed on the building caused debris and siding to fall off. O'Neill said there is concern of further collapse.

"We've already had several partial collapses in there, and there is fear that it could continue," he said.

A building nearby was also evacuated out of precaution. The Red Cross said late Monday afternoon more than 60 people total had been displaced between the apartment complex and a nearby Metro Housing unit.

IMAGES | Phoenix Hill neighborhood apartment fire

O'Neill said the cause and source of the fire is still under investigation.

He said there is a garage on the first floor where residents cannot currently get to their vehicles because — like the building itself — the area is also not safe to access. O'Neill said structural engineers will have to determine the safety of the building when it comes to potentially getting anything out that might be salvageable. 

This story may be updated.

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