By Melinda Deslatte
The Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. — A late-night fire spread quickly through parts of a large apartment complex, killing three people and forcing terrified residents to leap from second- and third-story windows, officials said Monday.
The blaze, reported about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, began in one building and spread to another in the Mirage Villa complex of multiple three-story brick and wood structures, city fire department spokesman Howard Ward said.
All fires were extinguished by the afternoon, and officials brought in cadaver dogs to look for residents who might not have escaped the blaze, said Robert Combs, with the fire department.
Firefighters remained on the scene Monday to determine the cause of the blaze and to be on hand in case the removal of the debris caused new fires, Combs said.
Eleven people were injured, including some with serious burns, broken bones and sprains after jumping to escape the fire, which spewed thick, black smoke.
Taking shelter at a nearby high school, Tim and Monique Sanders said they and their 5-year-old son got out safely after knocking on second-floor doors to alert neighbors. They said some apartment doors were blocked by fire.
“One man ran out of the building with no clothes on. His body was burnt,” Tim Sanders said. “He was burned bad. He wanted my help, but I couldn’t do anything. His wife jumped from the third (floor) out the window. I don’t see how she made it, but she was walking.”
Early Monday, displaced residents lined a street, some huddled in blankets, as they awaited word on their burned homes.
Fifty-four apartments were affected by the fire, putting 150 to 200 people out of their homes, Ward said. About 50 people registered by Monday afternoon to stay at the American Red Cross shelter set up at the high school.
The top floor of the building where the fire began was badly charred, and the fire had burned the roof away. Bricks from where a collapsed wall littered the ground nearby, and a child’s toy floated in water that put out the blaze.
Overnight, the fire shut down the main highway running from downtown Baton Rouge to the neighboring parish, Ward said. The road was reopened by Monday morning.