Indianapolis (IN) firefighters responded last night to a fire that prompted the evacuation of a 10-story apartment building.
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) units responded to a fire on the ninth floor at the Winterhouse Apartment at 1321 N Meridian St.
Crews saw fire showing from a ninth-floor window and encountered heavy smoke throughout upper floors of building, with several occupants needing assistance in fleeing the building due to thick smoke. A second alarm was struck at 8:30 p.m., and firefighters deployed supply lines to the eighth floor for attack on the fire.
Firefighters got the fire under control at 8:36, with primary and secondary searches of the structure declaring all clear at 8:45 p.m.
An occupant of Apartment 913 told IFD fire investigators she was burning a candle in the apartment near the couch. She left the apartment to check on her laundry and, when she returned, the couch was on fire. She and a neighbor tried to extinguish the fire with both water and an extinguisher, to no avail. They fled and called 911.
The apartment building had working alarms and sprinkler system, both of which activated. According to the IFD, 200 occupants were displaced. Two occupants checked on scene for slight smoke inhalation, and firefighters rescued several cats.
RITA L. REITH is a battalion chief with the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) and serves as the agency’s public information officer.
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