Fire rips through Sioux Falls apartment complex roof. Photos, videos:

Investigators from Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and the ATF are continuing their investigation this morning into the cause of a fire that sent flames through the roof of an apartment building in southwestern Sioux Falls on Sunday evening.

A resident smelled smoke and discovered a fire in her neighbor's apartment at 6:58 p.m. at Penbrooke Place apartments at 4202 W. Valhalla Blvd. south of The Empire Mall, according to Battalion Chief Jim Powers. The fire was mostly subdued by crews by 7:40 p.m.

Residents were evacuated from the third floor of the apartment building first, then crews cleared the second and first floors. No injuries were reported from the fire and no cause has been identified yet, said Jeff Helm, a division chief for Sioux Falls Fire Rescue.

Smoke was drifting to nearby 49th Street, and a section of the street was shut down by Fire Rescue crews to allow for access to fire hydrants.

"I smelled it in my room," said Jacob Jensen, 19, who lives on 41st Street and Terry Avenue. "Everybody in the neighborhood was looking down the street."

The Red Cross was on the scene to offer assistance. Among the side stories was a woman who was trying to get back into the building to get her dog out of her apartment. Firefighters were telling her it still was too dangerous to allow her back in.

Sioux Falls police officer Ian Branch said a pet rendezvous area was created on the southeast side of the building for owners to come claim their pets. Residents were encouraged to park their cars there for the time being.

Witnesses said they could see the fire from far away. Kim Bos, 28, was at Texas Roadhouse when her heard a nearby apartment was in flames.

"We looked outside and I just thought it was getting foggy out, and then my friend texted me saying there was a fire," she said.

Bos, who lives two buildings over from Penbrooke Place. was unable to go home during the fire because the road leading to her building was blocked off.

"I'm just going to hang out here, watch it, maybe go shopping," she said.

Others were home or close to it when the fire broke out.

"I was on my way home and I turned on the road and saw the smoke ... I freaked out, shaking, could barely handle my phone, and called [my boyfriend] and said, 'Please tell me that's not our apartment,'" said Kenzie Pietz, 20, who lives in the complex next to Penbrooke.

Pietz's boyfriend, Deven Schoenberner, was watching TV in his room when the fire started.

"I heard firetrucks and my roommate yelled, 'Penbrooke's on fire! Penbrooke's on fire!' and everybody ran to their decks," Schoenberner, 22, said. "I did hear a boom ... and I thought it was (my friend's) car backfiring."

Crews used two aerial ladders with master streams to extinguish most of the fire in the attic area, Battalion Chief Powers said. Crews then re-entered the structure with hand lines and began interior operations including performing a primary search of the involved apartments to ensure all occupants had escaped. After crews had completed the primary search, they performed overhaul operations searching for hidden fires and smoldering debris.

The 36-unit apartment building lost the north half of the roof, and had heavy damage to two apartments, Powers said. A number of other apartments had water and smoke damage. Power and gas were disconnected and tenants were not allowed back in.

Residents had to find shelter either with friends or through the Red Cross.