Around 40 residents were displaced after a fire spread through the Crestview West Apartments in Federal Way, Washington, on Thursday, 24 September.
Emergency crews were called to the complex on Pacific Highway South at about 2.45pm. Fire officials said the blaze began in a single flat on the second floor before spreading to the third.
No injuries were reported, but residents were told they would have to leave the building for at least one night while crews carried out clean-up work and assessed the damage.
The American Red Cross initially said 25 people had been displaced, before revising the figure to about 40 residents across 18 flats.
A temporary shelter was opened at the Federal Way Community Center, at 876 South 333rd Street. The Red Cross said it was providing affected residents with emergency assistance and advised evacuees to take essential medication, clothing, hygiene items and important documents if it was safe to do so.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was accidental and began in a kitchen where oil and chips had been left unattended on a hob.
