Fortunately for a downtown resident, the smoke alarms were working.
A neighbor at the Highland Terrace Condos in the flats called Capital City Fire/Rescue to report a smoke alarm going off next door Friday afternoon, according to a press release from Fire Marshal Dan Jager. CCFR responders arrived to find smoke coming from an apartment.
After forcing their way inside, the firefighters found combustible debris on an electric stove, the press release stated. The occupant of the apartment wasn’t home at the time, and responders were able to get a dog and a cat (who were both unharmed) to safety.
Damage was estimated at about $1,000, and the resident had renter’s insurance, according to the release. Fire marshals quickly determined the fire was unintentional, and it was contained just to the stove top in the kitchen.
The small fire underscores the importance of having functional smoke alarms, Jager said.
“Had there not been a working smoke alarm, it is very likely this fire would have been much larger and caused more damage and endangered more occupants,” Jager wrote in the release.
