A Dayton firefighter was injured at Summit Square apartments and an investigator was trying to determine whether unattended cooking led to a fire that destroyed one unit and caused severe damage to at least three others.
The injured firefighter was suffering from heat exhaustion and another was "sitting out" because of the heat inside and outside the building, Dayton District Chief Barry Baldwin said. The firefighter experiencing heat exhaustion was taken to Miami Valley Hospital to have some fluids replaced, but "he's doing well," Baldwin said. "Looks like he's going to be all right."
The second firefighter who was "sitting out" did not require a trip to a hospital. There were no reports of any other injuries.
Crews were dispatched to the 800 block of Summit Square Drive at about 8:40 p.m. on a report of a structure fire. Smoke could be seen from U.S. 35.
The residents of the apartment where the fire started were not at home. Fire crews performed a door-to-door search to evacuate other residents. The fire was said to be under control at 9:20 p.m. and crews had to force entry at each of the units to make sure the fire had not spread, Baldwin said.
The fire began in the first-floor kitchen of a middle apartment, then spread to the second floor. Fire also spread to three other units that surround the one where the fire began, Baldwin said.
The apartment where the fire began is a total loss, he said, noting, "It's going to have to be completely gutted...started from zero." The upstairs of another unit was ruined as well as fire crews ripped open walls and pulled down ceilings in each apartment in their search for stubborn flames.
All the occupants of the units have been displaced and the Red Cross was called to help the residents find accommodations, Baldwin said. He wasn't sure exactly how many individuals were affected, but fire officials estimate that those chased by the fire comprise at least four families.
