Photo by Ryan Gladstone / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

St. Joseph firefighters work to put out a fire at 1719 Faraon St. Ten families were displaced by the blaze that destroyed the 10-unit apartment house. Two residents were transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center.

Fire consumed a 10-unit apartment house, leaving 10 families homeless Friday.

“I was woken out of a deep sleep,” said James Scott, an Air Force veteran and recent widower, “thinking everything’s OK till I saw the rolling flames.”

The accidental fire destroyed the building at 1719 Faraon St., said Steve Henrichson, a St. Joseph Fire Department inspector. The loss is valued at $100,000 for the building and $50,000 for the contents, Mr. Henrichson said.

A gas line developed a leak and the pilot light ignited the gas, he said. Firefighters got the first alarm at 11:31 p.m. Thursday.

All 14 adults and three children were evacuated from the brick and wood building.

“In the mix of things, I ran out with just the clothes on my back,” said Mr. Scott, who had an apartment in the third-floor attic. “If I could have grabbed anything before I left, it would have been pictures of my wife. You can’t replace those pictures.”

One individual suffered from smoke inhalation and had an anxiety attack, Mr. Henrichson said. And a man’s medications were destroyed by the inferno, he said.

The two were sent to Heartland Regional Medical Center.

The rapidly spreading fire forced firefighters outside. A Snorkel truck and a Tele Squirt truck were used to control the blaze and get flames in the attic. Ten trucks and 25 firefighters responded. The Snorkel unit poured about 1,000 gallons per minute on the blaze. The last truck cleared the scene at 2:47 a.m. Friday.

The Midland Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross provided financial assistance for the victims’ immediate clothing, medication and food needs, said Kevin Kirby, the chapter’s executive director. People from two units were housed in the emergency shelter at the Red Cross building.

“The Red Cross is a great organization,” Mr. Scott said. He spent the night at the shelter.

Specially trained volunteers are working with each family on a recovery plan and assisting in locating resources to obtain new rental units.

The Red Cross’ fiscal year ends June 30 and this fire adds to a growing list of emergencies and disasters that have hit the agency’s budget. The Midland Empire chapter projects a need for about $9,000 to assist the families of the Faraon Street fire.

The chapter already exceeded its $65,000 disaster relief budget by $32,500 before this emergency, Mr. Kirby said.

The assistance for this fire is beyond budgeted funds, Mr. Kirby said.

The Red Cross needs help to assist these families. Call the Midland Empire Chapter at 232-8439 during the week or log on to www.redcross-stjoseph.org/index.php?pr=Donations.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com.