Fire Department

Five apartment units were damaged following a fire that broke out in a bathroom fan and spread to the attic above, leaving occupants displaced from their Pendleton Drive complex.

Engine Company 11 arrived on scene at 8:59 pm and were met by the 911 caller, who said he hit the fire in his bathroom with an extinguisher before exiting and pulling the building’s fire alarm to prompt evacuation.

Firefighters located the fire and pulled the ceiling away, finding four or five trusses actively burning above. Engine 11 attacked the main body of the fire with a water can extinguisher and completed the attack with a hose line provided by Medic 8.

As crews searched for fire extension, a sprinkler line tucked alongside the trusses was struck, causing water flow that affected four other apartment units. Additionally, a gas line was discovered near where the trusses had burned away, and gas service to the building was shut down until firefighters could safely complete their overhaul and ventilation operations.

Nobody was injured during this incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.