EAST ALTON - Firefighters were called to a quadplex on the 300 block of 6th St. in East Alton just after 6 p.m. Friday to battle a fire inside an apartment building.
East Alton Fire Chief Rodney Palmer said the blaze began in Apartment D of the building, and firefighters began attacking it from the outside of the building by shooting water through a window. Palmer said that move may have saved the building, which is going to be able to be rebuilt. Apartments A and B also sustained smoke and water damage from the fire, but no occupants were injured or killed due to the blaze.
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"There was a lot of water flow, because there was a lot of fire when we got there," Palmer said.
Several occupants were in the building at the time of the blaze, but all were able to escape. The occupant of Apartment D, however, was not home and Palmer said firefighters were not able to speak with him or her. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Palmer said the fire occurred during the second shift of a newly-hired engineer, Craig Kinder, who is still on his probationary period. Palmer commended Kinder for how he handled the apartment fire situation.
Fire Departments from Rosewood Heights, Alton and Wood River assisted with fighting the fire, and Roxana Fire Department provided back fill for the East Alton Fire Department as the inferno was being quelled.
Palmer said firefighters returned to service around 8:30 p.m.
