An apartment fire in the 5800 block of East 22nd Street displaced 2 people and was responsible for the death of a cat that lived in the apartment as well. The residents were alerted to the fire by popping noises as well as the smell of something burning. The female resident went to investigate where it was coming from when she discovered the back porch area of the apartment engulfed in flames. The residents, along with two dogs, evacuated the apartment.
TFD personnel reported heavy smoke in the area as they approached the scene with the first Engine determining that an alley off of 22nd Street would provide the best access. Multiple calls were made to 9-1-1 but no one was able to initially give a specific address.
The initial firefighters on scene pulled a hose line to the rear of the apartment and began extinguishing the heavily involved rear patio area of the apartment. They had to force entry through a gate to gain better access to the fire and continued extinguishing the flames.
The crew was able to perform a quick search of the apartment to confirm the residents were out and then continued extinguishing the flames in the back yard as they were extending to the neighboring apartments back patio as well. Additional firefighters controlled utilities to the single story building and pulled back-up hose lines to assist in putting out the fire.
The majority of the damage was to the exterior of the apartments but there was damage to the interior of one of the units. As crews searched the apartment, they discovered a cat that had passed away.
The third dog was initially missing but found unharmed. Nine TFD units consisting of twenty-three firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire eighteen minutes after arriving. Red Cross was there to assist two displaced residents, a 55 year-old female and 40 year-old male. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.