Firefighters Respond to Afternoon Apartment Fire; No Injuries

Rapid, aggressive firefighting held an apartment fire to a single unit this afternoon at Porchlight, Inc., 306 North Brooks Street. Madison firefighters responded to the scene at 2:26 p.m. Upon arrival, Engine Company 4 noted smoke coming from the top floor of the 4-story building. Occupants had already begun evacuation.

Crews were aided in their entry to the building by a Knox box that allowed them to get inside the structure without forcing entry to the building or any of the units. On the fourth floor, crews saw smoke coming from the top third of the closed door to the fire apartment. Inside the apartment, smoke was present from floor to ceiling, masking any flames. Using a thermal imaging camera (TIC), firefighters aimed at the seat of the fire, knocking it down within minutes and mitigating further damage.

Medic 1 carried a disabled occupant of a neighboring apartment down four flights of stairs and treated her at the ambulance. She was released at the scene. There were no injuries.

The preliminary damage estimate is $15,000 in property damage and $5,000 for contents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
 

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