SAN MARCOS, Texas – San Marcos officials say five people are unaccounted for and one person was critically injured following an early-morning apartment fire.
Officials released the names of the unaccounted for individuals Friday afternoon:
James Miranda
Haley Frizzell
Belinda Moats
David Ortiz
Dru Estes
Those with information on their whereabouts are asked to contact the information hotline at 512-754-2291.
Firefighters are carefully waiting for the building walls to collapse before they can go in and search for possible victims.
On Saturday, investigators from several agencies will begin the task of trying to figure out what started the fire and what caused it to spread so quickly.
Crews will be working all weekend long to search through the rubble. A news conference with updates is expected to take place Monday.
A total of seven people were injured, but five suffered non-life-threatening injuries, city officials said. The individual who suffered critical injuries was taken to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio and three people that suffered non-serious injuries in the fire have been released from medical care.
The fire was reported just before 5 a.m. at the Iconic Village Apartments in the 220 block of Ramsay Street, engulfing one building and moving to a second building. The fire has also damaged one building at Vintage Pads Apartments, located at 1000 N. LBJ Drive.
Approximately 200 people were displaced by the fire.
The city announced Friday that the San Marcos River would be closed until 5 p.m. after fire suppression foam made its way into the river. Water samples have passed all requirements at the state level for contaminants.
Family reunification and assistance center information - phone number 512-754-2291
— Hays Emergency Mgmt (@hays_oem) July 20, 2018
Hays County Emergency Management said that the San Marcos Activity Center at 501 E. Hopkins St. was established as a shelter for those affected by the fire. The Central Texas Medical Center provided meals to those displaced and the Red Cross is assisting those affected as well.
UPDATE: The San Marcos Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins, has been established as a shelter for people displaced by the fire at Iconic Village Apartments and Vintage Pads Apartments. Central... https://t.co/HxqvuP3a9V
— Hays Emergency Mgmt (@hays_oem) July 20, 2018
Those seeking information on their loved ones who may have been affected by the fire should call 512-754-2291.
People interested in donating to those affected by the fire can donate to the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team and write "iconic" in the comment section of the donation.
Texas State University tweeted that many of the apartment fire victims are students at the university. According to the tweet, university staff is organizing assistance for students displaced by the fire.
Help for students impacted by the fire can be found here.
The San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter is accepting pets of residents that have been displaced by the fires for temporary safekeeping, city officials said.
Several of the people injured in the off-campus apartment fire have been confirmed as TXST students. The Dean of Students Office & Residential Life are working on support services for these students during this difficult time. We will share updates as information is available.
— Texas State (@txst) July 20, 2018
Residents of Iconic Village and building L at Vintage Pads apartments are prohibited from entering the premises.
According to the city, limited access to Iconic Village buildings 100 and 700 will be available to residents beginning Saturday at 2 p.m. Residents have been given a 30-minute time slot to reenter the apartments. The sign-up is available to five people for each 30-minute time slot.
The San Marcos Fire Department asked residents of the apartment complexes to move their vehicle out of the parking lot as soon as possible Saturday morning.
An officer will be posted on the corner of Clark and Cardinal streets for residents to gain access to the parking lot. The city is also contacting car owners directly with instructions to move their cars, the city said Sunday.