Sun Prairie apartment resident loses everything in fire

UPDATE (WKOW) -- A resident of an apartment building that caught on fire Monday morning is safe, but left everything behind her.

"I never expected this to happen," said displaced resident LeAnn Berghoff, who woke up from screams outside her apartment and found her bedroom filling up with smoke. "I looked out the window and I just heard people screaming, get out, get out!"

Berghoff says she had no time to think, breaking through her bedroom window to escape. She left with just the clothes on her back.

Her roommate, Paul Pankau, was working at the time of the fire but hurried back home after he received a call from Berghoff.

"I knew she wasn't lying [about the fire], cause I could hear the sincerity and scared in her voice, she was shocked," said Pankau, recalling his conversation on the phone.

As devastation sets in, Berghoff says she's trying to moving forward.

"I got to get a new place to stay, I got to buy all new clothes, all new shoes, everything," she said. "There was a lot of stuff, I had a coat that I got from my ex-boyfriend that just passed away, that's damaged, I can't fix that."

After she escaped, she and Pankau were taken to a nearby middle school to be cared for by the Wisconsin Red Cross.

Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Behling says the organization is making sure the displaced residents are getting what they need to get back on their feet.

"[We're] just really providing some comfort and care, some hot food...cold drinks...coffee," Behling said.

In the meantime, Pankau is giving his roommate as much relief as she needs during this difficult time.

"I'm just trying to make sure I help give her strength, whatever I can do on my part to see her through it, and that's my goal to see us through," he said, noting only a few clothes of his perished in the fire.

As for Berghoff, she says, for now, "it'll be really hard to move on."

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UPDATE (WKOW) -- The Sun Prairie Fire Chief tells 27 News it looks like the apartment building is a complete loss.

Crews are still at the scene as of 7:00 a.m.

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UPDATE (WKOW) --  Multiple fire departments and other agencies are helping put the fire out in Sun Prairie.

Sun Prairie Fire Assistant Chief Thane Westermeyer says when crews got to the building on Schiller, fire and smoke was coming from the basement. The fire quickly spread to the first and second floors. "We anticipate being on scene for a few more hours until we get the fire under control. Then we're going to have to assess the stability of the building, from an engineering standpoint as well as a fire investigation standpoint. So it could be later this afternoon. If not, the next few days before they can actually get in," Asst. Chief Westermeyer told 27 News, talking about the residents displaced.

The local American Red Cross chapter is also at the scene helping. It tweeted this morning, "Sun Prairie fire is large and so is our response." The Red Cross tells 27 News it will be bringing residents to Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School to keep them warm and provide food.

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UPDATE (WKOW) -- Firefighters at the scene of a Sun Prairie fire say no one was hurt, but 20 people have been displaced.

Smoke can still be seen coming from the apartment building at 5:30 a.m. The fire started around 4:00 a.m.

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SUN PRAIRIE (WKOW) -- The Sun Prairie Fire Department and other agencies are responding to a fire at an apartment complex early Monday morning.

They were called to 651 Schiller around 4:00 a.m. 

27 News has a photojournalists on the way and we'll bring you updates on Wake Up Wisconsin and here at www.wkow.com