[Press Release] : Late afternoon fire damages central Columbia apartment

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Steven Sapp - (573) 874-7557 

Late afternoon fire damages central Columbia apartment

COLUMBIA, MO (March 13, 2009) - The Columbia Fire Department responded
to a report of a commercial structure fire at 319 North Garth Ave.,
apartment G, at 4:20 p.m. on Friday, March 13. 

Immediately after dispatch, a Columbia Fire Department assistant fire
marshal who was in traffic at Garth and Worley during the dispatch,
arrived on the scene and reported heavy smoke coming from the apartment
on the west end of the building. The apartment complex consists of eight
units, each with a lower and upper level. The assistant fire marshal,
who is also the duty fire investigator, reported that one person may
have still been in the apartment. 

Arriving fire crews were able to locate the fire in the kitchen of the
apartment and quickly extinguished the fire. Primary and secondary
searches of both levels of the apartment were conducted and no one was
located inside the apartment. 

The resident of apartment G was located a few minutes after the primary
search was completed and was not injured. 

Fire crews checked for fire extension and were satisfied the fire was
contained to the kitchen area. Smoke damaged both levels of apartment G
and the kitchen sustained heavy fire damage. The other seven apartments
were not affected. The apartments were not protected by automatic fire
sprinklers, as the code at the time of construction did not require
them. 

Fire investigators continue to try and determine the cause of the fire,
which appears to be related to unattended cooking. 

No damage estimate is available. 

- 30 -
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