LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– Lafayette firefighters responded to a call from a neighbor that a duplex was on fire with one person possibly inside at 137 Catherine St. shortly before 2:30 a.m. this morning.
When firefighters arrived, the duplex and car in the carport were in flames, according to Lafayette Fire Department Public Information Officer Alton Trahan.
The duplex consisted of two separate homes with a common roof. One side houses a family of three and the other is where the fire began, with just one person there.
The man living where the fire started says that a mattress caught fire while pushed against a furnace. When he tried to remove the burning mattress from the home, the fire caught other things and spread.
He alerted his neighbors to get everyone out of the home. While his side of the duplex sustained heavy damages, the other side of the duplex sustained only water and smoke damage.
The cause of the fire was ruled an accident.