Three people were injured and many residents were displaced after a fire broke out at an apartment complex on University Avenue early Sunday morning.

The fire was extinguished around 12:05 a.m. at Casa Blanca Apartments at 2023 University Ave. causing significant damage to the building, according to Madison Fire Department spokesperson Lori Wirth.

Three people were injured during the fire, including two firefighters and one resident, a University of Wisconsin statement said. Several of the students involved in the fire experienced smoke inhalation, but none were among those seriously injured, the statement said.

Wirth said both firefighters have since been released from the hospital.

Wirth also said the two-alarm fire caused so much damage in one of the three wings of the apartment complex that residents of that wing have still not been allowed back in their apartments.

“Most of [the residents] found other places to stay, but the next step is that property managers are working with residents [to find temporary housing]…I’m not sure what they’re going to be able to do at this point,” Wirth said. “We haven’t been able to let people back in to stay.”

The residents of the wing most heavily affected by the fire will require temporary housing for the time being, according to the UW statement.

Fifty UW students were living in the apartments at the time of the fire, the UW statement said. The students were able to wait on a Madison Metro bus and a nearby convenience store until they were allowed back into their apartments, the statement said. All the UW students unable to return to their apartments were able to find temporary housing, the statement added.

The UW statement said staff members from the Dean of Student’s office are assisting the students affected by the fire by helping them in finding crisis loans and contacting professors.

Wirth added this is perhaps the largest fire the city has seen since last year.

“The smoke was just billowing out of that first building…it was very hot,” Wirth said. “There was very considerable damage, and the hallway is just black.”

Wirth said firefighters are still unsure as to what caused the fire, and she does not expect they will be able to find a cause anytime soon.