Copyright 2006 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
By MICHELLE HUNTER
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Fire officials have not yet found the cause of a three-alarm blaze at a Jefferson apartment complex that displaced about 35 residents early Monday morning.
No one was injured in the fire, which was reported about 3:10 a.m. and raged for almost three hours, according to George Rigamer, spokesman for the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department.
“We feel extremely lucky that we didn’t have any injuries or worse because of the time the fire occurred,” he said.
Although the fire did not destroy all the apartments in the 30-unit complex at 612 Central Avenue, electricity to the buildings was cut, forcing officials to shut it down, he said. A damage estimate was not available Monday afternoon.
Although no cause has been identified, Rigamer said the fire seems to be accidental. It appears to have begun in the ceiling above apartment 234. Firefighters called a second and third alarm because the blaze was so labor-intensive, Rigamer said. The building was old and had been renovated several times.
“The fire was in the attic in these hidden spaces created by all of the renovations over the years,” Rigamer said.
Representatives from the American Red Cross also responded to the fire to assist the displaced tenants, said Bill Salmeron, the agency’s emergency service director. “We assisted 13 families, 35 people,” he said.