Updated 4:25 p.m. —
About two dozen firefighters, including a Metro Fire heavy rescue unit and support personnel from Folsom Fire Department, responded to a Citrus Heights apartment fire on Sunrise Boulevard Monday morning — later determining the fire began inside a dishwasher.
After receiving a call at 11:26 a.m., crews arriving to the scene found smoke showing from the apartment and were able to quickly contain the fire without damage to adjacent housing units in the Sunrise Oaks Apartment complex, according to Folsom Fire Department’s Acting Chief Chad Wilson, who was on scene assisting in the effort. He said crews had the fire controlled 11 minutes after receiving the call.
Resident Alice Parker said she walked outside to contact the apartment’s maintenance technician after observing her dishwasher smelling and “blowing soot.” She said a fire had already begun in the apartment when she returned with technician Lonnie Byrd.
“I busted out the fire extinguisher, but I couldn’t even see in there — the smoke was so thick,” said Byrd, who later heard an explosion inside the unit, after calling 911.
Metro Fire’s public information office told The Sentinel Monday afternoon that the fire originated inside the dishwasher, but could not confirm if a “faulty dishwasher” was the cause.
Acting Chief Wilson said the heavy response to battle the relatively small blaze is standard practice when dealing with apartment fires.
“Extension is always our biggest hazard,” said Wilson, referring to the risk of a single-unit fire extending to nearby units. “With any apartment complex fire we send a full commercial response, which includes a large number of suppression equipment and two chief officers.”
The complex is located near the corner of Sunrise and Old Auburn Boulevards. No injuries were reported.
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