Twelve people are displaced after a massive fire damaged four units in a Pemberton townhouse complex over the weekend.
Pemberton Fire Rescue (PFR) members were dispatched to the scene at 7408 Cottonwood St. shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, the Village of Pemberton (VOP) stated in a release. According to witness accounts, the blaze began outside, behind one of the units. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Two units suffered "extensive" damage in the fire, while two more were mainly affected by smoke and water damage, according to the release. All 12 occupants, as well as pets, are reportedly unharmed.
Nineteen PFR members were on scene until approximately 9 p.m. when the fire was declared extinguished. Members stuck around to conduct a fire watch overnight, extinguishing any hot spots that arose until 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Upon receiving the call Saturday afternoon, PFR crews "had just returned from an earlier call and were at the hall putting the apparatus back into service when the page came in," a VOP spokesperson explained in the release. "We had a very fast response to the scene because of this.
"It was a tough fire that spread quickly, our members did a great job with what they were faced and worked hard throughout the event to have it extinguished."
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help support the victims.
