BOISE, Idaho — A fire at a Boise apartment complex destroyed part of a building and left three families displaced amid a growing housing crisis.
According to the Boise Fire Department, firefighters responded to a structure fire at about 3:45 a.m. Monday on the 6500 block of Maxwell Lane in Boise. After arriving within five minutes of receiving the call, crews found flames coming out of the front of a two-story, four-plex apartment building.
Residents said they smelled smoke in their building coming from the attached garage. They opened the door to the garage and found the blaze. They quickly closed the door and escaped from the building.
Boise fire was able to put out the fire before it spread to other residences. The fire was contained one apartment's garage, laundry room and second floor. Two other apartments had smoke damage.
Fire officials credited required self-closing doors between the garage and living area of apartment buildings.
"The closed-door between the garage and the living space prevented these residents from facing more extensive damages to their home," Battalion Chief Brian Ashton said in a statement. "Safety measures like this, as well as a quick response from the fire department, helped stop this fire from spreading throughout the structure."
Inspectors found the cause of the fire to be accidental.
No injuries were reported.
Officials said the Boise Fire Local 149 Burnout Fund is helping the three families who were displaced because of the fire.
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