Fire Department

A fire discovered in an unoccupied west side apartment was caught before it could spread to other units thanks to working smoke alarms in the building.
 
Firefighters responded to a four-unit apartment building on the 1200 block of S. Midvale Boulevard after a neighbor reported the smell of smoke and the sound of alarms in the hallway. No smoke or fire was visible as Engine Co. 9 arrived on scene, but crews did encounter black and gray smoke banked to the ground upon entering the building’s front entrance.

Firefighters discovered the fire in a first-floor unit that is currently unoccupied. Engine 9 swiftly extinguished the fire and proceeded to ventilate the unit. The vacant apartment suffered significant fire, heat, and smoke damage, but other residential units in the building were largely unaffected.

The MFD’s Fire Investigation Team interviewed witnesses and the building owner. Work was recently done in the unit prior to the fire, and investigators believe the fire is accidental. While possible causes include a potential electrical fault involving a vacuum cleaner, or the spontaneous combustion of painting materials, neither could be identified as the definitive cause.

Damage is estimated at around $30,000. There were no injuries to firefighters or occupants, and nobody was displaced from their homes.