An apartment fire in the 2200 block of North Ralph Avenue displaced two residents after a fire started on the balcony due to an improperly disposed of cigarette.
Two dogs that lived in the apartment were taken out by fire fighters and both are ok, while the two residents, a male and female in their 20’s, weren’t home at the time of the fire.
Multiple calls were made to 9-1-1 reporting an apartment on fire or heavy black smoke in the area. The first TFD Engine arrived on scene to a fully involved upstairs porch with flames moving into the living quarters of the apartment.
The crew pulled a hose line to the stair case on the ground floor and performed an exterior reset, a technique in which water is sprayed into a window and off the ceiling, thus acting like a sprinkler system. They then went upstairs and entered the apartment, extinguishing any remaining flames.
An additional crew on scene had pulled a second hose line and extinguished the tree and patio that were both on fire. The ladder crew on scene cut a hole over the fire to increase the visibility for the interior crew by allowing the smoke trapped inside to escape.
The fire fighters were able to find a dog inside as they performed a search and attempted to walk the dog out. The dog broke free but was found a short time later. The crew was also able to find an additional dog hiding under a bed and was taken outside and reunited with his owner.
The male resident had returned to the scene as fire fighting operations were ongoing. The residents did not need assistance from Red Cross as they would be staying with family. Nine TFD units consisting of twenty-three firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire five minutes after arriving.