Editor’s Note: This story was last updated at 2:49 p.m.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire Sunday morning at Campus Trails apartments near the Mississippi State University campus. The fire burned buildings A and B of the complex. Unofficially, approximately 70 people have been displaced.
Residents have reported seeing smoke and flames around 10:15 a.m. originating from the third floor of building A.
There is no official word on the number of apartments damaged by the fire. Officials are in the process of accounting for residents in buildings A and B. There is no official word on injuries, but it appears there have been no injuries or casualties. No ambulances have been on the scene.
MSU Police Chief Georgia Lindley said Campus Trails management will try to move affected residents into empty apartments within the complex. Campus Trails management met with residents from buildings A and B early this afternoon.
Lindley said the Oktibbeha County Red Cross Chapter is on the scene at the Campus Trails main office offering assistance to those affected.
Student Association President Thomas Sellers said SA, MSU Foundation, Student Affairs and the Athletic Department are continuing the MSU Relief Fund through the MSU Foundation. The fund was started after the April 6 fire at Crossgates apartments. Individuals and groups may donate online at https://ssl2.msstate.edu/msufoundation/makeagift.
Sellers said Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois was on the scene to determine how many MSU students were affected.
Senior international business major Jeremy Snowden, a resident of building A, said his roommate contacted him about the fire. Snowden said he was in Columbus attending church, but one of his roommates was home.
When we were informed of it via text message, we were 30 minutes away,” he said. “It was surreal, not knowing what was going to await us when we got back.”
Derek Baas, Jeff Jones and Brian Reid, all junior industrial engineering majors who live together in building M at Campus Trails, said they saw smoke coming building A before leaving for church.
Reid said he saw smoke coming from building A around 10:15 a.m. and immediately told Baas and Jones. He said the smoke was coming from building A’s third floor in the corner toward the complex’s pool.
“There was smoke coming out of the top vents,” Baas said.
Jones said the three headed toward building A where he saw a man on the phone with emergency responders, but the man did not appear to be a Campus Trails resident. Jones said the man handed him the phone so he could tell the dispatcher where the fire was.
“I walked over, saw a guy on the phone … I told 911 where to come,” Jones said.
Bass said he, Jones and Reid ran up to building A and starting knocking on doors telling residents to get out.
“There was stuff falling from the roof when we were up there,” he said.
Baas said police were on the scene within five minutes of his phone call, and fire trucks arrived within 10 minutes.
“By the time the firefighters got here, there were flames coming out,” Jones said. “Up until they got here, it [seemed to be] just smoke.”
Reid said it looked like the fire spread to building B’s roof quickly because of the wind, then shot down the stairwell to the bottom of the building.
Campus Trails is located off Blackjack Road approximately a mile from Mississippi State University. The complex has approximately 13 buildings, which house about 36 residents each. Most residents are MSU students.
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman declined to comment at this time.
Further information will be posted as it becomes available. Follow The Reflector on Twitter at twitter.com/reflectoronline for the latest updates.
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Assistant News Editor Ben Leiker, Editor in Chief April Windham and Staff Writer Kyle Wrather contributed to this story.