Fire gutted two apartments at the Cinnamon Ridge complex off Starkey Road in Southwest Roanoke County today, sending residents fleeing before firefighters brought the blaze under control. A firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor hand injury.

Firefighters declared the blaze under control about 10 a.m., an hour after it was reported by routed residents. Five apartments in the building that weren't destroyed were heavily damaged by smoke and water, according to a county Fire & Rescue Department statement today. A woman staying in one of the charred apartments said one of her three cats was missing. About 10 people were displaced and will be relocated to vacant units, a leasing manager said.

A couple in a top-floor apartment in the eight-unit building woke to their blaring smoke alarm and fled, Fire & Rescue Department said. The couple phoned 911.

Fire officials said they fought to minimize heat to keep flames from chewing through the roof. If that happened, firefighters would have had to flee the building and fight the blaze from the outside.

"When we do apartments like this, it's crucial to get to the attic, because if it spreads through the attic, and we have firefighters in there, it is a recipe for disaster," said Battalion Chief Daryell Sexton of Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

Cause of the fire wasn't immediately determined.

Firefighters from Clearbrook, Cave Spring, Vinton, Mount Pleasant and Back Creek stations battled the blaze, the Fire & Rescue Department said.