Residents Displaced After Apartment Fire in Okla.

SALLISAW, Okla. --

Several residents were displaced after a blaze destroyed parts of an apartment complex in Sequoyah County Saturday.

Sallisaw firefighters were called to an apartment complex in the 800 block of West Cherokee when witnesses noticed flames shooting from the building.

Sallisaw's fire chief said preliminary information is that the blaze was the result of an electrical problem in one of the complex's units that quickly spread.

"Right now, we're suspecting an electrical problem in this one apartment that you can see burnt out," Armstrong said.

The apartments used to be the Callahan Motel, but had been converted into apartments.

Firefighters entered the apartment where they said the fire started. Additional crews were called in from Brushy, Okla., to fight the blaze.

Fire chief Anthony Armstrong said the fire spread rapidly because flames got into the attic. Crews ended up cutting several sections of the roof.

"Well this whole L-shape right here is affected and there's going to be misplaced people for right now," Armstrong said.

Armstrong said that the Red Cross has been called in to assist the families affected by the fire.

Victims sifted through the charred remains to salvage what they can. In all, five apartments were affected leaving more than a dozen residents displaced.

A final determination of what caused this fire won't be known until fire marshals have an opportunity to survey the scene.

Fire officials said they'll continue to investigate.

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