Apartment fire Sunday began on balcony; cause unknown, says fire marshal

Investigators still aren’t sure how a fire started that heavily damaged an apartment building on Walker on Sunday afternoon.

Three people were injured and several others displaced by the blaze that was reported just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1300 block of West Walker, Fire Marshal Brad Crisp said. That’s near Seneca and Orient.

All three people who were hurt had been treated and released from the hospital by Sunday night, Crisp said.

It appeared as though the fire originated on the balcony, Crisp said.

On a warm, windy day, he said, the most likely cause was a discarded cigarette or a cooking-related fire. But investigators need to talk to the tenant again before they’ll have a clearer picture.

“It was breezy enough” to cause a fire Sunday, he said, particularly when you also factor in the low humidity and dry conditions.

A damage estimate was still unavailable Monday.

This story was originally published March 16, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Apartment fire Sunday began on balcony; cause unknown, says fire marshal."