OGDEN -- Three families remain homeless after a fire ripped through their building early Sunday morning.
It took crews about four hours to fight the blaze at 370 28th St. in Ogden, where the large old house had been converted into three apartments.
"The roof collapsed and it left little pockets that were really difficult to get out," Ogden Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wood said.
All of the residents evacuated the building safely and no injuries are reported.
The fire gutted the interior of the building, and although most of the walls of the bottom floor remain standing, Wood said between the water and smoke damage, the building is a total loss.
The fire became so intense, the siding melted on a neighboring house.
Wood said initial reports from the fire marshal indicate the fire was caused by an electrical problem, such as a short.
The building will need to be demolished. The fire department estimates the damage to be about $250,000.
The American Red Cross of Northern Utah responded to the fire and is providing the victims with a place to stay, some clothing and some food for a few days.
Red Cross Emergency Services Director Frederick Henderson said the victims will meet with a caseworker today to further evaluate their needs -- which will be extensive because the residents lost all their belongings -- and to move the victims into a new home as soon as possible.
Henderson said they have not reached the landlord yet. Landlords sometimes can place their renters into a new home very quickly.
Although the residents got away physically unharmed, Henderson said the Red Cross has counselors available to help them cope with their loss.
"I think for anybody to lose their place to a fire is going to be traumatic," Henderson said.
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