File photoA man is dead after a shooting at the Western Gardens apartment complex in Meridian on Saturday.

Several families were displaced following a Friday morning fire at a Meridian housing complex.

Firefighters responded to the fire at the Western Gardens Apartments at about 8:30 a.m. said Meridian Fire Department Deputy Chief Jason Collier. The fire heavily damaged a building containing at least six apartment units, but no one was injured in the blaze, he said.

Investigators suspect the fire began in an attic in one of the buildings before spreading to the other buildings. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Collier said. 

Meridian Housing Authority Director Ron Turner said eight families were displaced by the fire. Following the fire, the agency began working with each family to find temporary housing at local hotels. Social workers are also assisting the families with the emotional trauma caused by the fire, Turner said.  

Turner said the agency will expedite repairs to vacant units managed by the Meridian Housing Authority so the displaced residences will have housing. The Red Cross is also assisting the families, he said.