Friday, November 14, 2014

Fire rips through 4-plex on South "M" Street

Incident Date:  11/14/14
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 4109 S. “M” St.
Incident Type:  Apartment Fire

Narrative: At 3:30 am firefighters from stations 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 11 responded to a reported apartment fire.

The first arriving company found heavy flames showing from the front of the three-story approximately 4,900 square foot four-plex. Crews mounted an aggressive interior attack with handlines and searched the building to confirm that no one was trapped inside. As the threat of a possible roof collapse mounted, the Incident Commander transitioned to a defensive strategy, deploying an overhead master stream to extinguish the well-entrenched fire on the top floor and roof.

All occupants were able to escape without harm and the Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance to the five adults and three children displaced in the blaze.

The cause of the fire appears accidental and may have been caused by an improperly discarded cigarette. The area of origin was the second floor porch. The building is likely a total loss.