A fire damaged an apartment in the Library Apartment complex at 111 South Sycamore Street in Centralia early Sunday morning.
The initial 911 call indicated smoke and fire showing, but the first arriving police and firemen found just smoke coming from Apartment 104. Centralia Police joined by Central City and Wamac Police and a Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy pounded on the door but got no response. The door was then kicked in and firemen searched the apartment upon arrival and found it vacant. The fire was located in a bedroom closet. Firemen quickly knocked down the blaze and checked for extensions to make sure it had not spread to the second floor.
At the same time firemen had entered the apartment, police began evacuating the rest of the apartments in the complex and had residents go across the street in the library parking lot until the fire was quickly extinguished.
Centralia Firemen say several windows had to be broken out of the apartment where the fire began while other nearby occupants opened windows and doors to get rid of the smoke smell.
Since the fire started in a closet with no electricity, the fire is considered suspicious. The State Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to investigate.
The occupant of the apartment is identified as Alyssa Chapman.
All available Centralia City Firemen and the Centralia Fire Protection District was called to the scene, while the Sandoval Fire Department stood by at the Centralia Fire Station in the event of another fire.
The fire call came in at 1:40 on Sunday morning. Firemen cleared the scene at three am.
The outside of the Library Apartment complex lit up as firemen confirm the fire is out. Photo by Tim Ferguson.
