One person dead after Amherst apartment fire

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - 22News has learned that one person has died after an early morning fire at 422 Belchertown Road in Amherst.

State Fire Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and Amherst Assistant Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren confirmed the death and also told 22News that around 30 people in the 10 unit condominium have been displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

According to the Associated Press, the person who died was a male UMass student and 22 of the residents affected were students of UMass living in off-campus housing.

UMass is working to find housing for the students affected.

Firefighters were called to the Rolling Green Apartments right off of Rt. 9 in Amherst just before 5AM.

Amherst Town Manager John Musante told 22News that the fire started in one of units and spread throughout one of the complexes.

• View photos from the scene

Residents were lined-up outside in the cold watching dozens of firefighters fight the flames. At this time there's no word on whether anyone was injured.

"I grabbed the house phone, called the police and got my kids out of the house. That was it, I didn't have time to do anything else." Stephanie Jernigan, fire victim

A majority of the residents are college students from UMass Amherst. Classes for the spring semester start tomorrow; residents told 22News many students returned to their apartments Sunday night.