'Everything I had is gone:' Apartment complex fire leaves at least 30 displaced in Waukesha

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- After a fire broke out at an apartment complex in Waukesha, one resident told CBS 58 she's left to find a new place to live. 

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Waukesha Fire Department responded to a 16-unit building at the West Grove Apartments on Kensington Drive just before 2:45 p.m.  Willa Olson was inside her apartment inside the complex when she started to smell and see smoke. 

“I got up and I went to go look out of my bedroom window, right up in the front, and all I could see was smoke," Olson said.

Olson said she quickly ran out of her building and soon found it up in flames. She and her neighbors made it out safely and no residents were injured. However, Olson says she and the 30 people who lived in her building are without a home. 

“My whole apartment is gone," Olson said. "Everything that I had is gone.”

In total, 93 firefighters responded to the incident. One firefighter was treated for a minor injury related to heat stress, but did not go to the hospital. Neighbors watched it happened and shared videos of the fire on social media. 

The fire department said one cat was found dead, and they continue to search for a cat that is unaccounted for. The Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) is helping the family with their deceased cat. 

No damage estimate was provided by the Waukesha Fire Department, but officials say the building's assessed value was $1.26 million before the fire.

Crews believe the fire was caused by an electrical issue. The building that caught on fire was built in 1974. 

As Olson looks to figure out what's next for her, she's thankful that she wasn't injured, but was still left terrified by what could have happened. 

"This is something that can happen to anybody, at any moment," Olson said. 

Dana Aschenbrenner, regional property manager at Point Real Estate Management, LLC, has asked the fire department to pass along the following:

“We are thankful that no one was injured, and our priority now is to help ensure our residents’ needs are met. We are working diligently to provide access for residents to retrieve personal belongings as soon as possible, as well as secure alternative housing at our sister properties or other nearby apartments.”