'Nobody has anything. The building is done,' Quail Ridge apartment resident says

A Winnipeg woman whose home was destroyed in a massive apartment fire Friday eveningsays she and the others who lived in the complex are now looking fornew places to live.

Kayla McKay, 32, lived in a top floor corner suite of the four-storey Quail Ridge Apartment Homes in the city's St. James area, which caught fire around 7:30 p.m.

"Nobody has anything. The building is done," McKay told CBCNews at the scene Saturday morning as she was awaiting a phone call from officials about whether her two cats, Elvis and Smokey, were rescued from the blaze.

"It's just devastating to come out and see."

McKay said she and her daughter were at a fair at a nearby community centre when her daughter noticed smoke in the air. McKay said she ran to see where it was coming from, only to discover it was at her building.

"Next thing you know, we couldn't get in and my whole apartment was on fire," she said.

McKay, who lived in the apartment with her parents and daughter,said the fire officials at the scene told her the building wasn't salvageable.

Around 10 p.m., residents of the complex were summoned and told they should start looking for new homes, McKay said. While she had tenant insurance,others in the building did not, she said.

She said she hasn't heard from her landlord except to terminate her lease, and was shocked when the Canadian Red Cross told her to start looking for somewhere new to live.

McKaysaidshe's staying at her sister's home for now. On Saturday morning, she said her daughter woke up worried about where their cats were.

While there was a bird turned in from the apartment fire when she visited the city's animal services building, her cats weren't there.

McKay said she's hoping people can keep an eye out for Elvis and Smokey, who she said are very friendly.

About 180 people have been displaced by the fire. The city said Saturday that the Red Cross and the city's Emergency Social Services team provided help to 15 residents and the rest had made their own arrangements for accommodations.

"I think everybody's just lost their wits right now. No one has any feelings or words to describe any of it," said McKay.

A fire official told media at the scene Friday night the fire had rendered the building structurally unsound and tenants wouldn't be able to return.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Servicespokesperson Erin Madden said in an email Saturday. The fire departmentexpects the building will be a total loss due tosmoke, fire and heavy water damage, Madden added.

"Ultimately, this will be up to the insurer, who would also provide any damage estimate," said Madden.

There were no reported injuries among the residents but one firefighter went to hospital in stable condition. The city and the Canadian Red Cross were working to help people find temporary places to live. Firefighters rescued a number of pets.

'It just flew up in flames'

Edward Romanik said he was a witness to the fire from its very early stages. He said it started on the top floor and spread very quickly.

"It just flew up in flames," he said. "In about 20 minutes, the whole apartment was up in flames."

He said fire crews arrived about five minutes after they were called. He countedeight fire trucks at the scene.

"It was super sad watching everybody run around and crying and stuff," Romanik said.

CBCNews has requested a comment from the building's owners, Weidner Apartment Homes.