LAFAYETTE, La. - Nearly a dozen people are displaced after a major fire at a Lafayette apartment complex.
Eight units at the complex in the 200 block of Cougar Ridge were damaged in a Wednesday afternoon fire. Investigators believe someone was cooking and left a pot of grease unattended on the stove.
Destiny Lavigne and her family witnessed the fire.
"The fire just started coming out of everyone's apartment from the top," Lavigne said. "It just went ballistic. It was so big and so scary. I was like oh my God, I don't know what to do."
The fire caused major damage. Part of the roof is collapsed and other units have heavy smoke and water damage.
Angela Johnson's son has lived at the complex for more than eight years.
"The loss is just devastating," Johnson said. "He was relaxing after getting off from a hard days work and he just started smelling smoke."
Alton Trahan with the Lafayette Fire Department said the Red Cross is working to make sure the families are taken care of.
Trahan said, "The last thing we want is for someone to be out of their home during the holidays or any time for that matter, but definitely during the holidays, it's an unfortunate situation."
Johnson said, "I'm just going to continue praying for everyone that's here. Sometimes God allows things to happen so that better things can happen."
