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Residents displaced after early morning fire at Provo apartment complex

By Curtis Booker - | Jan 13, 2025

Courtesy Provo Fire & Rescue

Firefighters respond to an apartment fire in Provo early Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.

The American Red Cross is stepping in to help after dozens of residents of a Provo apartment complex were evacuated and displaced due to an early morning fire.

Around 5:25 Monday morning, Provo Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a structure fire at the Sycamore Apartments complex located at 351 East Center St.

According to a social media post, the fire originated in a unit on the first floor. Smoke filled other units as well, the post said, with residents still inside of them.

Capt. Sam Armstrong told KUTV that crews arrived to find the adjacent apartment burning.

“They had enough fire that they immediately called for a second alarm, which means that they got the remainder of Provo and then units from Orem and Springville,” Armstrong told the Daily Herald when reached Monday afternoon.

Courtesy Provo Fire & Rescue

A Provo Fire & Rescue truck is shown as firefighters respond to an apartment fire Monday morning, Jan. 13, 2025.

One apartment was significantly damaged and is considered a total loss. Two other units also sustained damages as crews had to do what’s called a fire overhaul to make sure all the flames were extinguished.

“(Firefighters were) looking in the walls between the apartments to see if there was extension or fire that burned through and got to the wood framing,” Armstrong explained.

The situation prompted urgent evacuation efforts, with emergency responders reportedly forcing their way into units to alert residents. Crews also shut off utilities during the response.

“A crew … was assigned to search and assist multiple people in exiting their apartments through the smoke-filled building,” Provo Fire & Rescue stated in its social media post.

In all, around 28 people from the 30-unit complex were evacuated.

Monday morning saw temperatures in the low 20s, meaning evacuees had to wait in frigid temperatures while fire crews and law enforcement agencies worked to contain the fire.

The Red Cross later worked with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to open an evacuation shelter at a nearby church.

“The Red Cross is providing immediate support at the shelter, such as temporary housing, food, clothing and personal care items,” said Benjamin Donner, executive director of the American Red Cross Central and Southern Utah Chapter, in a release. “We’ll continue working closely with these families in the coming days and weeks to help them recover.”

Provo Fire & Rescue says no one was injured, but residents in at least one of the units will be permanently displaced due to the fire.

The cause was under investigation, as of Monday afternoon.

The Daily Herald reached out to Aspen Ridge Management, which oversees the Sycamore Apartments, for more information regarding the evacuated tenants but did not immediately receive a response.

According to the Red Cross, officials were anticipating that most residents would be able to return home later Monday once utilities are restored. For those whose apartments are damaged and uninhabitable, the Red Cross will work with local officials and the church to provide ongoing assistance.