Fast response limits apartment fire damage near Old Main

The fast response by Bellevue fire crews helped to limit the damage to an apartment complex on the 10200 block of Southeast Third Street in the Old Main neighborhood on Wednesday night.

The apartment fire resulted in $75,000 worth of damage.

Neighbors reported smoke coming from the apartment at 9:39 p.m. Fire crews responded and arrived at the building a short five minutes later and put out the fire just as it broke out a window and was extending to the roof.

No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire. Investigators say the fire was most likely caused by combustible materials placed too close to an electric baseboard heater.

The closeness to the downtown fire station was a major factor in the fast response, but quick dispatching helped as well.

The only displaced residents were the two occupants of the apartment where the fire started. In addition, neighboring apartments to the sides and below had some smoke and water damage.