LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Several residents were displaced after a Little Rock apartment building went up in flames Saturday night, Dec. 15.
Residents who called the building home are still cleaning up the aftermath.
“Last night we had 10 engine companies, three ladder trucks, two of our chiefs and then three other chiefs on scene as well as our heavy rescue unit and hazmat unit,” Little Rock Fire Dept. Captain Jacob Lear-Sadowsky said.
Crews were battling flames at the East 7th Street apartment building from 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. until 1 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 16.
“It took them some time to find all of the pockets of fire," Lear-Sadowsky said. "There’s reports of fire in the walls and in the attack.”
Currently, investigators are still working to find out what caused this massive fire.
Some residents were home but fortunately, no one was injured. The 10 tenants who live there are being assisted by property managers and the Red Cross.
After a long day of salvaging what’s left and searching for her two cats, Elise Wyant was happy to be reunited with her four-legged friend Luna.
“I feel relieved. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve smiled today," Wyant said. "So, I’m just really happy that we found one cat.”
Finding the pair were at the top of her list.
“It’s like the silver lining in all of this,” Wyant said.
Her other cat, Clarke, is still missing, and she’s asking for her neighbor's help in finding him.
For now, Wyant will be able to stay with friends.
“I think I was lucky I had, I still have a lot of things to clean through but I will be able to take some things home,” Wyant said.
Another tenant was happy he’s able to move across the street into an open apartment the property manager found.
The building was originally a large home and was converted into 13 apartments.
"The house was built in 1879 and it's considered historic," Lear-Sadowsky said, "and it was remodeled into an apartment building in 1975.”
Now, 90 percent of the building's roof is gone, and the fire department is working to assess the extent of the damages.