Multiple people were able to escape fire and smoke from a large apartment complex fire Friday night in Pierre.
Pierre Volunteer Fire Department chief Ian Paul says people were trapped on the upper floor at the 300 block of South Poplar Avenue around 9:30pm. Upon arrival, heavy smoke was showing from multiple sides of the large apartment complex and two people were trapped on the second floor on opposite sides of the structure.
Firefighters quickly deployed ladders to the two locations where people were trapped and assisted both out of the windows and down to safety.
Firefighters then turned their attention to the fire attack. Paul says they deployed a team of four through the front door to attempt to locate the fire through the heavy smoke. He says they found the main body of the fire in an apartment and quickly extinguished the bulk of the fire. Firefighters spent the next few hours extinguishing hot spots.
The apartment complex had 12 total apartment units with 11 occupied at the time of the fire. The evacuated residents were kept warm in a bus provided by River Cities Transit. All residents were displaced and were being assisted by the local American Red Cross with temporary accommodations. Some residents were allowed back into their units to retrieve essential items before leaving the scene.
Firefighters were on scene approximately 3½ hours. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but Paul says it’s not considered suspicious.
Response agencies included Pierre Volunteer Fire Department, Fort Pierre Volunteer Fire Department, AMR, Pierre Police Department, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, Highway Patrol, Red Cross, River Cities Transit and City of Pierre Electric Department.
