UPDATE @ 10:17 a.m. Aug. 8
Crews returned this morning to put out flames at an apartment in Washington Twp. that caught fire over the weekend.
Furniture reportedly caught fire and crews were sent out at 9:54 a.m., according to the dispatch center.
We’re headed to the scene to find out more.
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UPDATE @ 9:30 p.m.
Heavy fire caused extensive damage tonight and led one firefighter to suffer heat exhaustion at the Governors Square Apartments.
Firefighters were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. to a balcony fire in the upper level of an apartment in the 1000 block of Cambridge Station Road. Within 3 minutes of arrival, the fire extended through the roof and into the attic, said Capt. Joel Holbrook of the Washington Twp. Fire Department.
“It seems to be that it had a fairly good head start,” Holbrook said of the fire. “It was pretty well advanced when the first crews got here.”
No occupants were injured and neighbors and deputies are credited with helping make sure the building was evacuated, the captain said.
The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation, he said.
A firewall in the building helped to keep the fire from spreading beyond the firewall, but the damage to the upper portion of the building appeared extensive. No dollar damage amount was available.
The humidity and summer weather along with the heavy turnout gear and heat from the fire made it difficult for firefighters, Holbrook said, including one firefighter who had to be checked by medics for dehydration.
“It’s extremely hard on those guys this time of year,” said Holbrook, who added that crews had to be cycled so they could get their gear off and drink water to cool down and stay hydrated for a bit before going back to work.
All equipment and available personnel from the Washington Twp. Fire Department responded to the fire, along with two companies from the Miami Valley Fire District.
Resident Chris Kairos said he was inside when his neighbor knocked on the door to say their was a fire across the street.
“I was just hoping nobody was inside,” he said, adding he was told later that everyone got out and that one of the four units was vacant.
“It just started building and building, and it just billowed,” he said of the fire. “The whole roof is gone.”
FIRST REPORT
Flames were coming through the roof of an apartment building at the Governors Square Apartments.
Firefighters were called around 8:45 p.m. to a report of an attic fire in the 1000 block of Cambridge Station Road, off Lyons Road.
