Five families were forced out of their homes early Tuesday morning due to a fire on East Broadway Street in Fulton.

Everyone made it out safely, but due to smoke and water damage, the 11 people who lived there won't be able to get back in at this time, Fulton Fire Chief David Eiffe said.

The fire started in the back of the building and one of the apartments was destroyed, but firefighters were able to contain it relatively quickly, officials said.

"The crews did a good job on the initial attack getting in there, locating the fire, establishing that there were no occupants inside. I would say that this went fairly well, there were no unexpected events," Eiffe said.

The Red Cross is helping the affected families and individuals.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.