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Cheney apartment fire damages two residences, displaces residents

Firefighters pack up their gear following a fire in an apartment building that affected two units on Jan. 6, 2019 in Cheney, Wash. The cause of the fire, at 1312 First Street, is under investigation. No injuries were reported. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)
Firefighters pack up their gear following a fire in an apartment building that affected two units on Jan. 6, 2019 in Cheney, Wash. The cause of the fire, at 1312 First Street, is under investigation. No injuries were reported. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Rebecca White rebeccawh@spokesman.com(509) 459-5039

Residents of an apartment complex in Cheney were displaced after the wall between two units caught fire Sunday afternoon.

Aaron Bollar, a battalion chief at the Cheney Fire Department, said the fire damaged two units on the second floor of an apartment complex at 1312 First Street in Cheney. When the fire started, only one of the units was occupied, and the residents tried to use a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.

Bollar said everyone got out of the building safely, but the residents of the apartment will not be able to return to their unit tonight due to electrical damage. Bollar said once the department is able to make contact with the complex’s landlord, he hopes they’ll be able to move the residents to a different apartment.

He said firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the living room wall between the two units. The garage spaces for the first-floor and third-floor units were not seriously damaged, but the wall dividing the two apartments and electrical system in that area was significantly affected by the fire, smoke and firefighters’ efforts to put it out.

Bollar said the cause is still under investigation.