A two-alarm fire tore through a four-unit apartment building in New Orleans East on Monday night, displacing seven residents and sending a 43-year-old woman to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Firefighters also pulled two dogs to safety from a rear unit before bringing the blaze under control just before 8 p.m.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to the 7100 block of Florita Court, according to a press release from New Orleans Fire Department. The first company arrived at 7196 Florita Court at 7 p.m. to find an occupied, single-story, four-unit apartment building with heavy smoke pouring from the doors and windows, as reported by WGNO. Firefighters began searching the building almost immediately and called for a second alarm at 7:06 p.m.
Everyone Made It Out, One Resident Hospitalized
Officials said they determined that every resident had escaped the building or was not home at the time of the fire, according to Fox 8 Live. One resident, a 43-year-old woman, suffered smoke inhalation. She was treated on scene by New Orleans Emergency Medical Services before being taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation, the station reports. No other injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.
In the middle of the chaos, crews rescued two dogs from a rear apartment. The fire was brought under control by 7:52 p.m., per the same report.
Electrical Fault Behind Interior Wall Sparked the Blaze
Investigators determined the fire was electrical in nature, originating at an outlet in a wall separating two of the apartments.
With seven residents suddenly without a place to stay, the American Red Cross was contacted to help coordinate assistance for those displaced by the fire. The fire was under control by 7:52 p.m.
