Firefighters Save Apartment Building Dec. 21

A quick knockdown of an apartment fire saved multiple units Tuesday night, December 21, at the Jones St. Apartment Complex, around 11:59 p.m.

According to Sullivan Fire Chief Eric Lewis, Firefighters were called to apartment 32 for a report of smoke and flames coming from an air conditioning unit.

“We arrived on the scene and learned that Sullivan Police Officer had made entry into the home searching for any victims possibly trapped in the apartment but he was unable to locate anyone,” said Chief Lewis. “We learned on the scene also that the occupant was not home moments later from nearby residents.”

Lewis stated that firefighters entered the home and were able to quickly bring the fire under control.

“After getting the fire under control and conducting an investigation we contacted Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office for an investigation,” said Chief Lewis. “They conducted a thorough investigation and could not determine a final cause of the fire/“

Lewis reported to the Independent News that the fire is not believed to have started in the air conditioning unit and other factors had come into play.

“Fortunately we were able to bring this fire under control quickly and residents in adjoining apartments were able to return to their units,” said Chief Lewis. “We conducted inspections of the homes for any smoke damage, water damage along with critical air readings and everything was clear for them to return to their home.”