Fire Crews Work to Identify Source of Early Morning Apartment Fire

By: 10/11 News Team Email

Updated: Sat 11:31 PM, Oct 13, 2012

Lincoln Fire Inspectors are investigating an apartment fire near 56th & Holdrege which displaced some of the residents.

Just after 6:00 Saturday morning, crews were dispatched to the Adriana Court Apartment complex at 5631 Abby Court.

Initial reports were of heavy smoke discovered by an occupant. Fire crews found smoke rolling from the building but no flames visible.

According to a number of residents, the fire crews arrived about 30 to 45 minutes after a very loud lightning strike. There was also talk among neighbors about the smoke coming from around a dryer vent.

Brianna Welty lives in the complex in a building across from the fire. Welty said she was scared when she heard the lightning about 3:45 and terrified when she realized fire engines were in the complex. Welty had who has lived in the complex just a few months, had an incident with the alarm in her apartment. She said this fire will serve as a good incentive to fix the broken alarm.

Lincoln Fire Inspector Roger Chapp had not begun inspecting the building and would not speculate whether or not lightning was the cause.

Chapp said a number of residents would be displaced because of the fire or smoke damage. The American Red Cross was on scene to help with relocation of the residents. Four of the apartments in the building are not inhabitable.

A number of crews responded to the fire which spilled fire equipment out onto 56th Street, blocking the northbound lanes just south of Holdrege, for a couple of hours.

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