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60 displaced after massive fire at Chase Gayton apartments in Henrico

McNamara: 'When you're dealing with a fire of this magnitude, you're dealing with a significant number of people. Everybody's life situations are different.'
Chase Gayton Apartments Fire
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HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- More than 60 people have been displaced after a two-alarm fire damaged 24 units at Chase Gayton apartments in Henrico's West End Friday, according to officials with the Red Cross of Virginia.

Crews were called to a two-story apartment on Chase Gayton Circle, near the intersection of Gaskins Road and Quioccasin Road, for a report of a fire at 1:35 p.m.

Firefighters responding saw a large plume of black smoke coming from the apartment complex and that is when Henrico County Division of Fire Assistant Chief Mike Roth said they triggered a second alarm to move more resources to this area.

Crews found a woman inside the building that was on fire when they arrived. She had minor burns and was treated for her injuries, according to Roth.

Two firefighters also suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to an area hospital, Roth said.

FULL INTERVIEW: How Red Cross is helping 60 people displaced after fire at Chase Gayton apartments

FULL INTERVIEW: How Red Cross is helping 60 people displaced after fire at Chase Gayton apartments

Officials said the fire damaged 24 units at the complex. Twelve of those apartments were destroyed in the fire and 12 others have significant smoke and water damage.

Jonathan McNamara, Communications Director for the Red Cross of Virginia, said the agency is offering temporary housing and resources to replace lost items for the 60 people displaced by the fire

"We see these types of fires on a fairly regular basis. This is a large apartment fire, though, for this area," McNamara noted. "Fortunately, we have team members here that are experienced in this that know exactly what to do to walk these families through the recovery process."

McNamara said caseworkers will be those displaced residents "over the days of weeks to come as they really start what could be a challenging recovery process."

"Some of the most important work that we do in these situations, though, is supporting the emotional and psychological impact these types of events can occur," McNamara said. "Can you imagine you're standing out front of your home? You may have lost everything — that's going to be one of the more traumatic events of your life. All of our Red Cross workers are trained in psychological first aid and disaster spiritual care."

WATCH: 2 firefighters hurt in Henrico fire that damaged 24 apartments

2 firefighters hurt in Henrico fire that damaged 24 apartments

Roth said Friday that officials with the apartment complex were working to move displaced occupants into new units

The cause of the fire, which was marked under control around 4 p.m. Friday, remains under investigation, officials said.

If you would like to make a donation to the Red Cross, which McNamara said regularly responds to fires across Central Virginia with volunteers and staff ready 24/7, click here to support their Disaster Relief Fund.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

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