Nobody was injured, thanks to the quick thinking of one alert neighbor, but a fire at a Gainesville apartment complex forced the evacuation of 12 apartments.
Firefighters were called to the scene at 11 p.m. at Edgewater Apartments on Thompson Bridge road, where they found flames showing from the third floor of one of the buildings, said Keith Smith, Gainesville Fire division chief.
A neighbor spotted the flames and called 911, then apparently went to the burning building to knock on doors and alert other residents to the fire.
"She ran down, even in that terrible weather we had (Friday) night, and started knocking on doors, telling them their apartment was on fire," said Smith.
"Having spoken with some of those residents, they were telling me they had no idea the building was on fire, until she came knocking on their doors."
The Red Cross has been called to assist the 20-30 residents affected by the fire, though Smith said of the displaced residents would be staying with friends or family in the mean time. The apartment manager was also looking to find temporary lodging for the displaced families.
One apartment suffered "heavy fire damage," said Smith, with several other units suffering water and smoke damage as crews battled the flames.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
