An overnight fire destroyed several apartment units in Colorado Springs Saturday morning. The fire left about a dozen people homeless. The Red Cross is helping those displaced in the fire.

The Red Cross can only help for the first three days or so, due to limited resources. Because of those limited resources the Red Cross is urging everyone to be prepared for major disasters like the Cobblestone fire.

Jennifer Mariano at the American Red Cross Pikes Peak Chapter says they are doing what they can to help those who lost their homes. "Its particularly based on what the individual's needs are," said Mariano.

At a disaster like this Red Cross workers will look at each family or individual’s situation, to determine how much money to offer. All the help is based on a the family or individual's needs. The average family receives about $1,000 to help in the first 72 hours after a disaster. The money is used to buy food, clothes or for a room to stay in.

Mariano also ran command for the red cross at the Castle West fire in 2007. She says the biggest lesson she learned is to protect your important documents. "The ability to replace your personal documents is very difficult," said Mariano.

For some victims at Castle West, it took up to 6 weeks to get identification and credit cards replaced. "Its so crucial to get your important papers and important credit cards copied and stored someplace else," said Mariano. "A little ounce of prevention goes a long, long ways."

Another way to be prepared is to come up with an escape plan for our families or roommates. The Red Cross also says now is the time to check the batteries in the smoke detectors.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.