LFR battles apartment fire near downtown Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Several LFR crews battled an early Monday morning fire at an apartment near downtown Lincoln.

LFR crews were called to the apartment near 12th and G streets at around 5:30 a.m.  Additional units were called in shortly after.

A Channel 8 reporter at the scene shared a video on the NOW Local News App showing heavy fire coming from the roof.

“I saw a huge orange glow over the top of this building behind me and I never seen that large of a fire in this side of town before.” said Lincolnite, Marvin Dennis.

The fire caused powerlines to go down and left some residents with no power.

“The two explosions on either side of the apartment have also been evacuated, so there’s a lot of people being displaced at this time. ” said LFR spokeswoman MJ Lierman.

She also said the apartment had been evacuated.

She also noted that there’s been a “partial collapse” of the building.

LFR said because of the amount of water they used, it left some roads in icy conditions.

“Our water sources have caused a lot of ice in the area, we do have our partners at LTU and LPD watching the streets, but if you can avoid the area-that would be great.” She said.

The fire is under investigation.  A firefighter suffered a minor injury, according to Lierman.

The Red Cross is assisting the residents of the apartment who were displaced due to the fire.  A shelter has been opened up a shelter at Lincoln High School for those impacted.

This is a developing story.  Check with Channel 8 for updates.