A Wednesday morning fire at a Casper apartment building left 11 people without a home, fire officials said.

The 2 a.m. blaze caused extensive damage to the four-unit building near the intersection of 11th and South Walnut streets. The fire did not destroy the structure, but it left the building uninhabitable, said Casper Fire-EMS spokesman Justin Smith.

Responding firefighters found heavy fire in the front of the apartment building. They tried to enter the building from the back, but were forced out by high heat and deteriorating conditions, according to Casper Fire-EMS.

Crews then focused on protecting nearby homes and fighting the blaze from outside.

All 11 occupants managed to leave the building without injury. Two homes next to the building were temporarily evacuated until conditions were safe for them to return.

The Red Cross is assisting the displaced apartment residents.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Smith said.

Police arrested a Casper man at the scene of the fire after an officer saw him allegedly punch another man in the head. Wilbert Augustine Abeyta, 49, was booked on suspicion of assault and public intoxication.

The other man, who was not identified, left the area while police were arresting Abeyta.

The Wednesday morning blaze was the second apartment fire in Casper in three days. A fire inside a building on West Ninth Street on Monday left three apartments uninhabitable.

Fire officials believe the Monday fire was caused by a man attempting to thaw a frozen pipe with a torch.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.