Lafayette firefighters were busy Tuesday afternoon, responding to two fires within an hour.
They were called to the Himbola Manor Apartments at about 1:15 p.m., by a resident who said her bathroom was on fire. When firefighters arrived at 804 Martin Luther King Drive they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the front door. The fire was spreading to the adjacent apartment. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire in the hallway and bathroom, but the apartment was heavily damaged.
The resident said everyone in the apartment was able to escape without injury. She said she was in the living room with her children and brother when she heard a loud noise, went down the hall to check it out and found the bathroom on fire. She grabbed all the children and got them out of the apartment, fire officials say.
Fire officials say the American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the occupants of the two apartments.
Fire officials confirmed the fire originated in a bathroom closet. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Less than an hour later, at about 2:07 p.m., firefighters were called to the 100 block of Avalon Road, where they found one side of a duplex apartment building on fire. It took about 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control, and the duplex sustained heavy damage.
One of the units was occupied. The said she was asleep when neighbors alerted her about smoke coming from the roof. They noticed a small fire in the laundry room. The occupant escaped without any injuries. The neighbors called 911 to report the fire.
Fire officials determined the fire originated in the laundry room. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire officials say the Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the occupant, as well.
