Fire empties Woodstock apartment complex; 1 critically hurt

A fire of undetermined origin Sunday at an apartment complex in Woodstock critically injured one resident and displaced dozens of others.

Firefighters arrived at the Mapletree apartments, 1959 Sheila St., about 5:30 p.m. to find residents leaving the building. A second alarm was sounded and about a dozen surrounding departments responded with ambulances and equipment, according to Lt. Brendan Parker of the Woodstock Fire Rescue District.

The fire was contained to an apartment on the third floor. A resident of the apartment was found in the hallway and was taken to Centegra Memorial Medical Center in critical condition, Parker said. A resident of another apartment also was taken to Centegra with minor injuries, he said.

The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes, but the unit was severely damaged. Smoke and water damage to other parts of the building resulted about $300,000 damage, Parker said.

He estimated that several dozen residents from about 36 apartments were taken to St. John's church in Woodstock, where they were being tended to by the Red Cross.