1 injured, family of 7 displaced after apartment fire in Franklin
Officials say the family wasn’t home when the fire started.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Franklin Fire Department is investigating after an apartment fire left one person injured and seven people displaced on Friday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the Whitney Franklin apartment complex at 113 Magnolia Dr. around 4 p.m., after a maintenance worker called 911.
Officials arrived four minutes later to find heavy black smoke coming from an open door of a ground-floor unit of the two-story building.
According to Franklin Fire Battalion Chief Tyler Crews, the family wasn’t home when the fire started, and discovered it upon their return.
A maintenance worker, who had responded to the unit to assist the family with a maintenance issue, was with them as they opened the door to thick, black smoke. One person in the group was taken to a local hospital by Williamson Health EMS for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and limited damage to just two of the 10 units. In addition to the apartment where the fire originated, an unrented unit beside it got damage.
Crews said a smoke alarm in the apartment was found disabled with duct tape. He said that nuisance alarms often cause people to disable their smoke alarms, which can be deadly.
Officials said if people experience nuisance alarms, they may need to relocate or replace the alarms. Smoke alarms should also be kept away from the kitchen to prevent nuisance alarms. Alarms should be 10 feet away from a cooking appliance.
Photoelectric smoke alarms are the best type of alarms to be installed near the kitchen and bathrooms to reduce nuisance alarms.
Officials said the American Red Cross is assisting the family.
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