Fire claims apartment; ‘Smoke was billowing out the back’
Published 10:22 am Tuesday, April 19, 2016
The Austin Fire Department responds to a fire at 1412 Sixth Ave. NW just before 8 a.m. Tuesday. Jason Schoonover/jason.schoonover@austindailyherald.com
About 20 residents looked on early Tuesday morning as firefighters put out an apartment fire.
The Austin Fire Department responded to 1412 Sixth Ave. NW at about 7:41 a.m., and flames were coming off the back of the building when they arrived.
Sixto Morales was visiting a friend at the apartment Monday night and stayed over. He was woken this morning by his friend. He said there was a lot of smoke and they tried to pour water on the fire but it didn’t work.
“There was a lot of smoke,” Morales said. “It felt like I was going to faint.”
Residents from an apartment building watch from across the street Tuesday morning as firefighters put down a fire in the building.
— Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
He said the fire started in the living room.
Mark Bawek, who lives just down the block from the building, said he could see and smell the smoke before he heard the sirens.
“It was intense,” Bawek said. “Smoke was billowing out of the back.”
No one was injured in the fire. One apartment unit was a total loss, while others sustained smoke damage.
Firefighters put out the blaze shortly after 8 a.m. The official cause and estimated damage is still under investigation.
The Red Cross was contacted to find a place for the residents to stay.
The Austin Fire Department responds to a fire at 1412 Sixth Ave. NW just before 8 a.m. Tuesday. Jason Schoonover/jason.schoonover@austindailyherald.com
