Woman rescued from apartment fire in Village of Sturtevant

STURTEVANT, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Racine County officials say a woman was rescued Wednesday, from an apartment fire in the Village of Sturtevant.

Deputies responded to the building near 86th and Shannon Lane around 10:47 p.m. for reports of a second-floor apartment fully engulfed in flames and began evacuating residents.

In total, 15 people were taken out of the apartment complex.

"I opened up the door and as soon as I opened up the door the smoke was overwhelming and the firefighters were coming in and telling us we had to get out," resident Lisa Korabik said.

“We lost our clothes, we lost everything," Korabik said. “The most important things that we saved were our lives and our neighbors and our baby bunnies.”

Officials say as crews worked to extinguish the flames, they heard a person screaming from the apartment believed to be the origin of the fire. According to South Shore Fire Department, the 64-year-old woman rescued was taken to Columbia St. Mary's in critical condition.

Anthony Johnson was inside when the fire started and got out when emergency crews arrived.

“I just grabbed my wallet and keys and stuff," Johnson said. "Just so frantic and you never know what you’re going to need so you just grab what you always have right in front of you.”

Johnson moved into the apartment after his old home in Racine caught on fire and destroyed most of his stuff.

“I was just getting back, just getting back on my feet and it’s just unfortunate," Johnson said.

Temporary shelter is being provided by the American Red Cross for displaced residents, and their pets were taken to local animal shelters.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.