Firefighters battled a blaze at an off-campus student-housing complex in Santa Barbara on Saturday night, prompting evacuations of multiple units as a precaution.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., personnel from the Santa Barbara City Fire Department were dispatched to the incident at the Beach City complex in the 800 block of Cliff Drive. 

The fire reportedly started in an upstairs unit with firefighters confirming that the blaze had spread into the common attic and affected other units, Battalion Chief Robert Mercado said.

To get to the fire burning in a corner unit, crews had to access an adjacent unit, he added.

Firefighters also quickly cut holes in the roof for ventilation in a bid to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the building.

In addition to apartments damaged by the fire, downstairs units received water damage.

Approximately 20 minutes later, crews reported that the fire was under control, according to emergency dispatch radio reports.

Four people were displaced because of the fire Saturday night, according to a Beach City representative. However, as many as eight units may be uninhabitable because of fire, water and smoke damage with assessments still occurring Saturday night.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Personnel from the Montecito Fire Protection District and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department also assisted by handling other calls while city firefighters dealt with the structure fire.

The fire occurred at the Beach City student-housing complex made up of multiple buildings. The complex is owned by St. George and Associates and is located near Santa Barbara City College.