A fire at the Royal Atlantic Apartments in Pompano Beach broke out early Monday morning, displacing nearly 50 residents.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded shortly before 2:45 a.m. to the fire at the 22-unit apartment building in the 100 block of Northwest Seventh Avenue.
Firefighters arrived to find one apartment with flames through the roof. Multiple units suffered smoke damage, although firefighters were able to quickly contain the blaze, said Pompano Beach spokesperson Sandra King.
There were no injuries. One cat was found deceased.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue fire investigators and the State Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire and have not yet made a determination, King said.
Peter Lawton told WPLG-Ch. 10 the fire started in his apartment and quickly spread.
“I wasn’t smoking, I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t doing nothing,” he told the news station. “The only thing I could do is get the hell out. I got up, put on my pants and the dog was in the bed.”
The American Red Cross was on the scene providing food and assistance.
Thirty-four adults, 16 children and three dogs from Royal Atlantic Apartments have been moved to the indoor recreation center at Mitchell Moore Park.
“We are supporting the city to help provide shelter, three meals a day, assist with disaster cost needs, provide mental and spiritual care and assign them case workers,” said Paula Prendergast, executive director at American Red Cross in Broward County. “We will stick around until we are no longer needed.”
This is the third apartment building fire this year in South Florida in which multiple units were affected, said Tiffany Gonzalez, Regional Communications Director of the American Red Cross South Florida Division.
Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.