One person was found dead after the Granby Oaks apartment complex caught fire at around 8 p.m. Thursday night, according to West Columbia Police Capt. Shane Phillips.
The deceased person has not been identified but was confirmed to have been found inside one of the units.
According to firefighters on the scene, eight of the units in the complex were damaged, though much of the damage was contained to the building where the blaze started.
More than 10 firetrucks from the Cayce, Columbia and West Columbia fire departments responded to the scene of the fire.
Rachel Sharpe, a Granby Oaks resident and an athletic trainer at Williams-Brice Stadium, was home when the flames started.
“The building was definitely burning when I came out,” Sharpe said. “I walked out, and the whole side of the building already has flames, and they’re all shooting up an estimated 10 or 20 feet.”
The Red Cross was on the scene at the time of the fire and was reportedly providing shelter to those who would not be able to access their homes Thursday night. West Columbia police were unsure of how many people were displaced.