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- Auburn firefighters work on extinguishing a fire at 26 Myrtle Street in Auburn on Thursday. Thomas Cook said a circuit breaker popped shortly after getting his son off to Edward Little High School. Cook went to the basement to turn the breaker back on and the basement filled with smoke shortly after. He and his brother, Tracy Bragg, got out safely.
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- Myrtle and Academy Streets in Auburn were closed while Auburn firefighters extinguished an apartment fire at 26 Myrtle Street. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
AUBURN — A small basement fire forced 14 people out of their homes at 26 Myrtle St. on Thursday morning.
Battalion Chief David Richard said the three units in the apartment building were occupied by seven adults and seven children, all of whom made it out safely when someone smelled smoke at 7:47 a.m.
The fire’s cause is under investigation, but not considered suspicious.
Richard said flames were largely contained to the basement, under one of the units. That same apartment has first-floor damage from firefighters making sure the fire was knocked out. The other two units sustained smoke damage.
He estimated damage at between $5,000 and $9,000.
Electrical service needed to be restored before tenants can return, Richard said.
The Red Cross is helping the tenants with food, housing referrals and other assistance.
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