While apartment residents scramble to find places to live, the victim of a fatal fire Friday in Kalispell has been identified.

Susan Denise Lake, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene of the Glacier State Apartments fire, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

The cause of her death, and the fire, remain under investigation by the Kalispell Police Department and the Kalispell Fire Department.

As of Monday, all 38 residents of the low-income apartment complex remained displaced, although the apartment’s site manager hopes about half of them might be allowed to return to their homes today.

The apartments at 600 Liberty St. in west Kalispell provide affordable housing to elderly and disabled people.

“We’re hoping just to get residents in the north end tomorrow,” apartment site manager Linda Bucher said Monday morning. “Some of the people have gone to family, and thank God, the Red Cross has put a lot of people up into a motel.”

About half of the apartments were minimally impacted by the fire, Bucher said, while the rest were significantly damaged. She said there’s no estimate yet on total damage from the fire.

Joe Kingan, a local disaster action team leader for the American Red Cross, said his organization worked around the clock through the weekend to provide hotel rooms or beds at its office on North Meridian Road to about 20 apartment residents without anywhere else to go.

“Our understanding is some of the clients are going to be out for months,” Kingan said. “That’s what we are concerned with now — what are the next steps? It’s going to take community assistance to help a lot of these folks.”

He said the Blue and White Motel has donated one room to the relief effort and, along with La Quinta Inn & Suites, has given preferred rates to the displaced residents. The Red Cross has been providing emergency money to allow residents to get food and temporary lodging.

“The housing availability in Flathead County is very limited,” Kingan added. “These things happen and they don’t go away for the victims. Tough times are ahead for them.”

He said individuals and businesses in the area can call the organization’s hotline, 1-800-RED-CROSS, to donate money or they may call the local disaster team directly at (406) 471-1720.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.