Residents briefly evacuated after fire reported in senior living apartments
Residents were briefly evacuated from the Historic Lafayette Apartments on Butler’s Main Street on Tuesday afternoon following reports of a fire around 2:45 p.m. in a fourth-floor apartment.
The cooking fire, which was contained to the stove and kitchen area by the sprinkler system, said Butler Bureau of Fire Chief Chris Switala, was put out by firefighters in a matter of minutes while residents of the senior living apartments waited to return to their own apartment units.
As firefighters cleared the scene, Donald Sizemore and Ken Kuhns, both fourth-floor residents of the Historic Lafayette Apartments, waited outside in the rain under an awning of a nearby building while others waiting in the lobby as for the incident to clear.
Both Sizemore and Kuhns recalled seeing heavy smoke in the corridors, but no fire when they evacuated the 302 S. Main St. building.
“We don’t know exactly what was burning in there, but it was so smoky,” Sizemore said.
A cat was evacuated from the apartment, which has sustained water damage, as well as some damage to the stove and kitchen cabinets, Switala said.
Shortly before 3:30 p.m., Switala said county maintenance was on the scene to treat the water damage and that seniors could safely return to their residences.
There were no injuries, and no residents were treated for smoke inhalation, he said.
The apartment complex houses residents 55 and older with limited income, according to the Butler County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
The Butler Bureau of Fire, Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, VA Butler Fire and Emergency Services, Butler city police and Butler Ambulance Service responded to the scene.
