A fire tore through two apartments early Tuesday morning at the Nittany Garden Apartments, 445 Waupelani Drive. The fire gutted the apartments and forced residents of 25 other apartments outdoors, Alpha Fire Chief Robert Kauffman said.

Kauffman said that when he arrived, the fire had vented through the roof of the apartment complex's H building and was also blowing from the rear of apartments 4 and 5 in the building.The 12 residents left homeless by the fire were placed in other apartments by the complex's owners, Kauffman said.

State Police Fire Marshal Terry Miller determined that the fire originated in the attic above one of the gutted apartments and is being listed as accidental, Kauffman said.

Alpha Fire Company responded to the fire at 3:38 a.m., and remained on the scene for more than three hours. Alpha was assisted by Boalsburg Fire Company, Kauffman said.