Perinton, N.Y. — A fire at an apartment complex Tuesday morning forced 65 people from their homes.

It took fire crews nearly five hours to get the three-alarm blaze on Honeysuckle Terrace at the Pines of Perinton under control.

No one was injured. A cat was rescued and reunited with its owner.

The fire broke out just before 4 a.m. It was a frigid morning; the evacuees were put on RTS buses on site to keep them warm. The Town of Perinton says about 65 residents are being sheltered at the Perinton Community Center.

Eighteen units were damaged. Robert Bergen was one of the residents affected.

"I know there’s going to be a ton of smoke damage. When I went in to get my cat, all you could see was a little glow around my bedroom," he said. "It was a bad fire."

Fire departments from surrounding communities responded to the scene to help.

Fairport Deputy Fire Chief John Overacker said smoke alarms were going off when the first crews arrived.

"Smoke alarms do save lives, and in this particular case, provided an early warning to residents," he said.

Emergency responders were going to conduct a secondary search mid-morning to ensure no one was injured.

"Apartment buildings like this, one of the biggest problems, initially, is accounting for people," Overacker said.

As to the cause, the Monroe County Fire Bureau is investigating.

The Town of Perinton has established a fund to help those impacted. Checks can be made out to the Town of Perinton. The memo line should note: Pines of Perinton Fund. Checks may be mailed to or dropped off at the town hall, 1350 Turk Hill Road. Cash donations will also be accepted at the town hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

This is a developing story. 13WHAM will provide updates as they become available.