AFD battles fire at abandoned apartment complex on N. Monroe | KVII

Excerpt

The Amarillo Fire Department battled a fire at an abandoned apartment complex in north Amarillo on Tuesday night. According to Amarillo Fire officials, units were called to a fire at an abandoned apartment complex in the 1200 block of N. Monroe at about 9:23 p. m. Upon arrival, firefighters found fire and smoke coming from the first floor of the two-story complex. The apartment complex had no utilities running to it.

The Amarillo Fire Department battled a fire at an abandoned apartment complex in north Amarillo on Tuesday night. (Courtesy: Amarillo Fire Department)

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — The Amarillo Fire Department battled a fire at an abandoned apartment complex in north Amarillo on Tuesday night.

According to Amarillo Fire officials, units were called to a fire at an abandoned apartment complex in the 1200 block of N. Monroe at about 9:23 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters found fire and smoke coming from the first floor of the two-story complex.

The apartment complex had no utilities running to it. However, it was uncertain if there were any occupants inside the structure due to evidence of people living inside.

Nine AFD units responded to the fire and crews entered the structure to search any possible occupants but no one was inside.

The fire was called under control at 9:45 p.m.

There were no injuries in this incident.

The property is valued at $85,000 and the fire was estimated to have caused $2,000 in damages.

The Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office was called to the scene for cause determination. Although the cause of the fire was ruled as undetermined, fire officials say they believe vagrants living in the property started the fire.

AFD says properties like these present an increased danger to both firefighters and people living inside. First, since these properties are not maintained there is no fire protection systems or smoke alarms in place. In addition, furniture, bedding and other indicators of occupancy in abandoned structures greatly increase risks to firefighters in the event of a fire.

Properties such as this, that appear abandoned and partially secured, might be believed to be vacant. However, when signs point to people living inside of the structure, firefighters must take on the added risk of searching each room to ensure the safety of any potential occupants.

In order to protect the lives of individuals who might be occupying these abandoned properties and to ensure AFD firefighters return home to their families, officials say it is imperative that these properties be properly secured by the owners and periodically checked to ensure vacancy.