Pet cat found dead after South Hill apartment fire
A pet cat has died and three people have been driven from two apartments after a fire broke out in the Biltmore Apartments, 2727 E. 53rd Ave., fire officials say.
The cause of the Thursday evening blaze is under investigation after it started in a second-floor apartment in Building D and was quickly extinguished by firefighters, according to Battalion Chief Steve Sabo.
Three other apartments received varying degrees of smoke and water damage. A manager at the apartment complex said that the resident in the second-floor apartment where the fire started was not at home at the time.
She and a pair of residents in the first-floor apartment below it were moved out because of heavy smoke, heat and water damage. Smoke damage also occurred in the third-floor apartment directly above the fire, but residents were able to remain there, according to the manager.
The damage is estimated at $30,000. Seven fire companies with 21 firefighters responded to the fire.