LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Yellow tape still wraps around the apartment, on Lenney Court, keeping everyone out, including the three adults and five children that were forced to run from a fire early Sunday morning.

"You hear about it, you read about it, you see it, but when it hits you at home it's a completely different story," explained Jemale Edwards, a cousin to one of the victims.

No one can crawl into their bed, now that one apartment is destroyed and the others have smoke damage.

"I had to run out there and just go help. There was no second guessing it," said Edwards, who lives next to the apartment and sprang into action after his cousin came to get him.

Edwards said he ran into the smoke to help several children and adults escape, and he credits a class he took a while ago that trained him what to do in case of a fire emergency.

"Everybody in the building is like family to us, so you know it's like a sense of urgency."

Edwards is still carrying that same sense of responsibility as he spent his time helping his cousin and the other victims settle in for the night, even if the rooms at the La Quinta Inn are far from home.

"Everybody is still distraught. It's unreal and everything is just unbelievable right now," described Edwards.

While the four families all made it out unharmed, they now have very few items of their own.

"Some families were luckier than others, I hate to say it like that," started Edward, adding, "Due to smoke damage, we were able to grab some toys for the kids, and pampers, and clothes that was in drawers and stuff."

The Red Cross is working closely with the victims to help them through this time, they started by setting them up in hotel rooms. At this time, the cause of the fire has not been released.