Residents of a small apartment building off Jesse Jewell were able to safely escape a fire that badly damaged an upstairs apartment Thursday night.

Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said the cause of the fire that broke out at 420 East Ave. shortly before 7:45 p.m. Thursday remained under investigation. The two-story, 3,200-square-foot, woodframe and brick building had four apartments.

There were five people living in the apartment that caught fire, five people living in another upstairs apartment and three people living in an apartment downstairs, Canada said. The American Red Cross was assisting in helping the displaced residents. The downstairs was not badly damaged, he said.

About 18 firefighters responded to the fire, where heavy smoke and flames were showing when they arrived, Canada said. Firefighters made an interior attack and were able to extinguish the flames soon afterward, he said.