A large family was displaced from their apartment after a fire Wednesday afternoon, but an inspector with the St. Joseph Fire Department says it could have been much worse.

Crews responded to a duplex on fire in the 400 block of S. 15th St. Wednesday afternoon.

Inspector Jason Ziph said crews worked quickly to put out the fire but that the second floor of the duplex will need extensive repairs.  “If it had gone any longer it probably would have engulfed the entire upper floor of the house,” Ziph said.

“The lower level is habitable, but the upper level is going to need a complete rehab just because of the smoke damage and smoke staining,” he said.  “No one needs to be breathing all the particulate matter that’s put off by fire and smoke.”

Ziph says there were three adults and ten children in the building when the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon.  The two adults who lived downstairs were able to return to their home, but 11 people from upstairs are getting assistance from the American Red Cross of Northwest Missouri.

Ziph said the fire was caused by unattended smoking materials.  There were no injuries.