A fire destroyed a Tucson apartment in the 2600 block of North Alvernon, after a candle left in a closet started the blaze. Multiple calls were made to 9-1-1 reporting heavy black smoke and flames coming from the second floor apartment with information also stating that a knocked over candle started the fire.
The first TFD crew arrived on scene and confirmed heavy smoke from the second floor apartment. The firefighters pulled a hose line up the stairs and entered the apartment to put out the fire and ensure the resident was out. Additional firefighters on scene helped evacuate the adjacent apartments and also the apartments below. The interior crew did encounter flames in the bedroom of the apartment and extinguished the fire. There was a concern that the fire was in the small void space above the ceiling due to a lot of pressurized smoke coming from the roof area. The ladder crew cut a hole in the roof to allow the smoke to escape and ensure there were no hidden hot spots. The interior crew was able to confirm that resident was out of the apartment but paramedics assessed the resident on scene due to minor smoke inhalation. The resident did not want to be transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
Nine units consisting of 23 firefighters responded to the fire and controlled the fire 18 minutes after arriving. There were no injuries reported by firefighters. The resident, an adult male, did not require assistance from Red Cross. Fire investigators deemed the cause to be an accident involving a candle that was burning in the closet.