At 2:36 PM Wednesday afternoon, the Canton Fire Department received a dispatch for a fire reported by a neighbor in a four-unit apartment building located at 819 7th St NW in Canton. Upon arrival, fire crews were met with flames venting out of the attic roof.
All occupants had evacuated the structure before the fire crews reached the scene. Initial efforts involved entering the building and engaging the fire, but crews were compelled to exit due to a partial collapse of the roof. Firefighters then transitioned to battling the blaze from the exterior and later re-entered the structure to fully extinguish the flames.
The extensive fire and water damage have rendered the building uninhabitable. The Red Cross was summoned to provide assistance to the occupants of the four apartments, although the exact number of residents is yet to be determined.
Division Chief Steve Henderson has noted that the building will be torn down. $21,000 worth of damage was done to the structure and an estimated $20,000 was lost in contents.
The incident is currently under investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire. There have been no reported injuries among civilians or firefighters involved in the operation.