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Apartment fire in Northwest Omaha displaces 60 people

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    • A significant fire broke out at the Highpoint Apartments Monday.
    • 60 residents were displaced, the management company is providing them with temporary housing in vacant units.
    • Emergency services responded at 2:30 pm
    • The cause of the fire is under investigation

    BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
    Five dozen people have been displaced by the fire, how badly their units were burned? They don't know yet. KMTV neighborhood reporter Hannah McIlree spoke to residents impacted by the fire.

    "I was taking a nap and my boyfriend was leaving for work and he comes running back in and he's like there's firefighters outside there's so much smoke we need to get out," said Lizzy Martinez.

    This Martinez's first apartment, she told KMTV she and her boyfriend were just getting settled in. Now they're looking for a place to stay, as they stand in the cold watching what used to be their home burn.

    Lizzy Martines warms-up in Red Cross blanket

    "Everything is like burnt down or like soaked in water, it's really sad, " said Martinez.

    Martinez said once she saw the smoke enter her unit she ran, leaving everything behind including her glasses.

    Staff with the rental company told KMTV they have vacant units where residents are being placed. The Red Cross and Salvation Army are assisting, providing cots and blankets.

    Resident will not be able to renter the units and are asking neighbors to bring essentials, non perishable food and clothes, to the Highpoint leasing office.

    OFD works on attic hotspots

    Omaha Fire Battalion Chief Coby Werner says part of the reason the fire has been so hard to contain, is fire spread to the insulation in the building attic.

    "We're going to be here the whole night were going to hold the scene until our fire investigators can come back out during the day and hopefully at that point we can get inside the structure," said Werner.

    Werner also tells KMTV the cause is still under investigation.

    A lot of water was poured on the building and rushed down neighborhood streets, creating potentially icy street through the night and morning.