An investigator has determined the preliminary cause of an early morning fire at an Evansville apartment complex.
A news release from the Evansville Fire Department says discarded smoking materials started the blaze at Hornbrook Estates, near S. Green River Road and I-69, at about 5:00 a.m. Thursday.
Battalion Chief Dan Grimm says the fire started on a top floor balcony, where at least one occupant was a smoker and kept a discarded cigarette container on the deck.
Grimm says the blaze spread into the eave and then into the attic, where sprinklers were not required when the apartment building was constructed in 1999.
He says once the flames reached the attic, the blaze traveled the length of the building and burned off the roof.
Grimm says current fire code requires sprinklers on balconies.
The blaze displaced 39 occupants of 24 apartments that were damaged or destroyed. The Red Cross and Hornbrook management are assisting the residents.
One firefighter suffered what Grimm calls a very minor injury. The residents escaped the burning building with no injuries.