The early Thursday morning fire was at Westridge Townhomes on Avenue M West in a two-story building that contains six apartments. Five of them sustained heavy fire damage. The sixth apartment on the south end of the building sustained smoke damage.

Two residents of the building were taken to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Four families were displaced by the fire, according to the United Way.

The fire was reported at 2:22 a.m. First arriving firefighters found flames coming from the two-story building. Multiple hoselines and a large caliber nozzle called a deck gun were used to extinguish the fire.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Debris is scattered on the ground in front of a fire-damaged building at Westridge Townhomes.

A total of 14 off-duty firefighters were called in to assist. Fort Dodge police and Webster County sheriff’s deputies also responded.

Emergency personnel were on the scene for about six hours.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The state Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting.

A representative of the American Red Cross met with residents of the building Thursday afternoon to find out what kinds of help they need.

In its effort to help the families who lost their homes get their lives back together, the United Way put out a request for microwave ovens and dishes that are safe for use in microwaves. Anyone willing to donate those items should call 515-573-3179.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The back side of a fire damaged-building in the Westridge Townhomes complex shows the results of an early Thursday morning fire.

The Westridge Townhomes complex has been the site of major fires previously.

An Oct. 22, 2023, blaze in a different building caused serious fire damage in five apartments and smoke and water damage in three others.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with reckless use of fire in connection with that incident.

In 2014, firefighters credited smoke detectors for enabling people to escape from an early morning fire in the complex.