OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - At least 50 firefighters responded Wednesday afternoon to a two-alarm fire at an apartment dormitory on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus.
There were no reports of any student injuries, but authorities were still working to confirm that all students had been accounted for at 5 p.m., Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim McCaw said. Up to 50 students were displaced by the fire, he said.
One firefighter was taken to a nearby hospital with an undisclosed minor injury, McCaw said.
The fire was reported just before 3:30 p.m. and flames could be seen shooting from the roof of one of UNO’s Scott Village student apartment complexes, located on the university’s south-central Omaha Pacific campus at 64th and Pacific streets.
Displaced students were asked to go to the adjacent Scott Conference Center or to nearby Mammel Hall, UNO spokesman Charley Reed said. Parents of UNO students were asked to call the university’s front desk for more information.
UNO spokeswoman Erin Owen also said the university will offer counseling services to students affected by the fire.
“It’s obviously very shocking to come home and see your apartment on fire,” she said.
The Scott Village student housing complex is made up of four-bedroom apartment units, each with a full kitchen. The complex buildings also have laundry facilities.
McCaw said officials hadn’t determined the cause of the fire, which was still burning late Wednesday afternoon. It was believed to have started on the third floor of the building. By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had spread to the attic, burning through at least half the building’s roof.
“With the winds today, it made it very difficult,” McCaw said.
The National Weather Service said winds at the time were about 15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph.
Another apartment building next door was evacuated as a precaution, he said.
All officials and the American Red Cross were working late Wednesday afternoon to find shelter for displaced students.
“They will all have a place to sleep tonight,” Owen said.
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