Apartment fire displaces 30 residents

FARMINGTON — Approximately 30 people were displaced by a fire at the Villa View Apartments northwest of downtown tonight.

The fire was reported at 7:51 p.m., a dispatch center supervisor said. The apartment complex is located at 905 Walnut Drive.

Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control, but not before it destroyed six apartments, Lt. Casey Malone of the Farmington Police Department said. Several other units were evacuated.

There was no immediate word about injuries.

The Farmington Police Department reported on its Facebook page that Walnut Drive between Airport Drive and Francis Avenue had been closed to traffic.

The dispatcher said the Red Cross had been notified about providing assistance to residents who had been displaced. She said the building where the fire was reported contained between 10 and 15 apartments.

Malone said the owner of the Journey Inn Motel at 317 Airport Drive had agreed to donate some rooms for the night to the displaced residents.

The cause of the blaze was being investigated tonight by the Farmington Fire Department and the San Juan County Fire Department, Malone said.