Fire Investigators determine a discarded cigarette on the deck of an apartment balcony caused early morning fire
Nashville Fire Department investigators determined a 2-alarm fire at 1818 Church Street early Monday morning is the result of a discarded cigarette on a balcony.
There were no injuries to the public or NFD personnel in connection with the fire at the 1818 Church Apartments.
At 3:41 am on Monday a woman called 911 to report a fire on the balcony at 1818 Church Street. The caller saw flames and smoke coming from the third floor of the building.
NFD firefighters arrived on scene within five minutes. Firefighters found residents of the multi-level apartment building outside. Firefighters made an aggressive interior attack on the fire located in a third floor apartment.
The incident commander called for a second-alarm response because building was a multi-family residential structure.
During firefighting efforts a resident reported a cat still inside of her unit. Firefighters entered the unit and after hearing faint meows rescued the cat from the living room. Firefighters reunited the cat with its owner outside the building.
Fire investigators on scene examined the unit where the fire started and interviewed the residents. The residents told investigators they were smoking on the balcony hours earlier before going to bed for the evening.
The residents awoke to the sound of an explosion and then reported seeing the flames. The fire started near a futon on the balcony and then spread into the apartment unit. The explosion the resident reported was caused by several cans of paint that were near the area of the fire’s origin.
The 1818 Church Apartments’ fire safety system successfully activated and interior sprinklers inside the apartment extinguished a portion of the fire that spread to the inside of the apartment unit.
The Nashville Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire is accidental caused by discarded smoking materials.
This fire highlights the importance of everyone having a fire escape plan.
This is especially important for people living in one of the many high rise residential buildings in Nashville.
Residents of 1818 Church Street who need a fire report should email: [email protected].