ADA COUNTY, Idaho — A cigarette lit near an oxygen tank caused a fire Monday morning in an apartment just east of downtown Boise, according to investigators with the Boise Fire Department.
Firefighters were called just after 6 a.m. for a fire at an apartment building on East Bannock Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. That's just east of St. Luke's and just west of Pioneer Cemetery.
The fire department said when they arrived, firefighters found heavy smoke in the third-floor hallway of the nine-story building. Several residents had already evacuated, thanks to working smoke detectors, the fire department said. Boise Police officers were helping some people down the stairs.
Firefighters asked residents who were still in their apartments to shelter in place while two engine crews got a firehose up to the third floor and entered one of the apartments to find the living room on fire. Firefighters kept the fire from spreading to other units. One woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Another person, who was on the ninth floor, was evaluated but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
Boise Police arranged for a Bronco Shuttle bus to take some of the residents to the Boise Senior Center a few blocks away.
The fire was out before 7:10 a.m., but firefighters stayed at the apartment building for several hours to remove smoke from the hallways so that residents could return home. Broadway Avenue was shut down between East Idaho and East Jefferson streets, but has since reopened.
The fire department said the fire was contained to one unit and one resident is displaced because of the fire. Smoke damage did not spread beyond the third floor. The Trauma Intervention Program of the Treasure Valley is assisting the displaced person with any immediate needs.
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