Red Cross Assisting 10 Adults, 3 Children After Fire

Update at 10:19 p.m.: According to Red Cross Communications Manager Ashley Studley, the organization will continue to assist impacted families throughout the weekend with a hotel stay before meeting with them again to determine further needs.

Studley said it's not clear how many total residents were displaced by the fire, but she said the Red Cross is assisting 10 adults and 3 children after Friday's fire that gutted the Avalon Oaks apartment building.

Updated at 8:02 p.m.: While crews will likely be working through the night on Avalon Drive and multiple units have been destroyed, Wilmington Fire Lt. John Brown confirmed to Patch that all residents escaped the fire and are accounted for.

Brown said there were no injuries as a result of the fire and said more details will be available at a later time. Red Cross volunteers are still working with residents who were displaced by the fire.

Updated at 7:40 p.m.: Multiple Patch readers have reached out offering to help the residents who are displaced after today's fire. According to Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts, donating to the organization is the best way to help.

"One way they can help is by making a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund, which supports our response to fires like the one in Wilmington," Communications Manager Ashley Studley told Patch.

Donations can be made by visiting the Red Cross website.

Updated at 6:21 p.m.: Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts has issued a statement, saying they are on scene in Wilmington. The statement reads as follows:

"American Red Cross volunteers right now are assisting at least 18 people affected by an apartment fire at 4121 Avalon Drive in Wilmington.

We know that at least 18 people from 10 units have been affected by the fire, and we are working with the fire department to arrange for emergency temporary shelter at a hotel and safe transportation."

Updated at 6:14 p.m.: The Wilmington Fire Department just put in a call to the State Fire Marshal's officer, which has an investigator on his way to the scene of Friday's Avalon Oaks fire.

Updated at 6:04 p.m.: A rehabilitation and incident command bus from the Department of Fire Services was en route to the scene and had nearly arrived at about 6 p.m.

Updated at 5:40 p.m.: As heard over the scanner, an ambulance was requested for a 35-year-old female who is 13 weeks pregnant. The woman reported that she was having difficulty breathing.

Updated at 5:23 p.m.: Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts just reported on Twitter that they are looking to make arrangements for the families impacted by the fire.

"Volunteers right now are trying to arrange temporary shelter at a hotel for 18+ (people) displaced by a fire in Wilmington," they tweeted.

The fire is in the building at 4121 Avalon Drive.

Updated at 4:52 p.m.: Multiple reports indicate that the fire has reached a fourth alarm as flames are still visible through the roof of the apartment complex.

Crews are running lines from hydrants on surrounding streets, including Arlene Ave.

Updated at 4:31 p.m.: According to multiple scanner reports, at around 4:30 p.m. evacuation alarms began sounding and firefighters have been order out of the building.

The fire is reportedly still heavy, with a propane explosion occurring on the third floor.

Original Story: Wilmington firefighters are responding to a three-alarm fire inside the Avalon Oaks apartment building with the assistance of crews from Burlington and North Reading.

As initially indicated on scanner reports Tweeted by Chris Stygles and confirmed by several other accounts, flames kicked up on a fourth floor porch just before 4 p.m. and the visible flames have quickly spread, causing a third alarm to be called in.

A witness at the scene reported that the flames were visible immediately when arriving in the area.

Scanner reports indicated that the building was evacuated, and firefighters are searching the building for residents as they fight the flames.

Check back for more details as they become available and for up to the minute updates follow Wilmington Patch on Facebook and Twitter.