Several residents rescued from apartment fire in Independence

Independence fire crews battled an apartment fire Thursday morning in the 9500 block of East Winner Road.

When firefighters arrived about 10:30 a.m., heavy fire was pouring from one unit. Four residents were rescued. Five persons were taken to hospitals, but only minor smoke inhalation was reported.

The fire was contained to one unit but there was smoke damage in several other units, according to fire officials. It took fire crews about 30 minutes to bring flames under control.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No damage estimates were available.

This story was originally published March 20, 2014 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Several residents rescued from apartment fire in Independence."