Apartment Fire Forces Evacuation

Residents of the 40-unit Alberta Apartments building at 172-1/2 S. Madison were evacuated for two hours Monday afternoon after a fire in one of the third-floor apartments.

Firefighters were called to the building at 3:13 p.m. They contained the fire to Apartment 33 and pulled apart the ceiling and walls to stop the fire from spreading.

Frank Cunday, who lived in the apartment, was not at home when the fire started, Battalion Chief Joe Stapleton said. The fire apparently was started by a cigarette.

As fire crews cleaned up the building, they noticed a natural gas leak. Washington Water Power Co. crews shut off gas leaking to several units in the apartment building.

, DataTimes