ST. GEORGE — A fire at an apartment complex off Dixie Drive displaced the occupants of 10 impacted units Sunday evening.

The fire ignited in the top floor of Building 5 of the Canyon Pointe Apartments at 1737 W. 360 North around 9:15 p.m.

St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said the occupants of one of the top level apartments told firefighters they smelled smoke in their apartment yet didn’t see anything until they went outside and saw smoke and flames.

Prior to the arrival of fire crews, the occupants of the 10 apartments in Building 5 were evacuated. The buildings on either side were also evacuated as a precaution in case the fire jumped to a neighboring structure.

“There was a great coordinated effort here by the residents to evacuate and get to a safe spot,” Stoker said.

When fire crews arrived, they found flames coming out of the west side of the top floor and also through the roof. Firefighters went into the building to attack the fire but soon withdrew after seeing the attic was engulfed in flames. At that point they began to blast the fire with water from the outside.

Part of the roof collapsed in at least two of the upper level units as the fire progressed.

Once the bulk of the fire in the upper level was extinguished, firefighters reentered the building and began to search for remaining hot spots to put out, rotating between going inside and blasting the fire with water from the outside, Stoker said.

The evacuees were primarily gathered across the street in a playground area set in the middle of the Canyon Pointe complex.

Due to heavy fire damage to two apartments on the upper level and smoke and water damage to the rest of the building, Stoker said the occupants would be unable to return home for the night. The Fire Department was working with the apartment complex’s property management to relocate the impacted parties. The Red Cross is also involved.

All residents were accounted for, and no injuries resulted from the fire.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

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