LAFAYETTE, La. — A military veteran is dead after an apartment fire. The fire happened Monday night at around 11:30 p.m. at Mimosa Place Apartments.
The upstairs neighbor says the smoke was so thick and potent that she thought her own apartment was on fire.
Devon Fontenot was asleep when she realized the smoke was coming from the apartment right underneath hers.
"I opened my eyes and realized my apartment was filled with smoke," she said. "I went to check my kitchen to make sure I hadn’t left any burners on."
According to her, this isn't the first time that a fire happened in that unit. She helped to put out the fire last time.
After she woke up and ran downstairs to check what was happening, the fire was already pouring out of the affected apartment's window.
"I came downstairs and then I looked around the corner and the flames were out the windows... it was all over... it was scary," she said.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation. The fire started in the bedroom, possibly on the victim's mattress.
Another recent fire killed a man in a home on the 400 block of Evangeline Thruway. That fire early took place Saturday morning.
The Lafayette Fire Department said they found a lot of contents inside of the home and many extension cords spread throughout the house.
They also said there was no evidence of a smoke detector inside the burnt home.
"Smoke alarms are crucially important. That’s one of the first detection devices that everyone should have inside their home," said LFD Spokesperson Alton Trahan. "You’ve got to make sure it’s working properly.”
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