A plumber accidentally started the fire on the first floor, firefighters said. The flames then traveled through the insulation along copper piping in the building.
"Once it got into the pipe casing, it extended up like a blow torch in the attic," Richmond Fire Battalion Chief Tim Brown said.
Students watched the apartment go up in flames. They said the apartments on the top floor are almost completely destroyed, and first and second floor apartments received heavy water damage.
"When I left, my stuff was all here, and when I came back, it was all gone... I had a meltdown. I was like, 'My life is in this apartment, and now it's all gone,'" resident Stephanie Clark said.
The Red Cross found hotel rooms for all 15 students for the next few days. According to firefighters, the students will be placed in different units within the same complex soon.