While most of Great Falls was nestled in bed waiting for Santa to come, Great Falls Fire Rescue crews responded to two working structure fires. The first fire occurred at 1215 5th Ave S. The call came in at 1:59 am for a second-story apartment on fire. GFFR crews arrived to find a fire that started on the balcony and extended into the apartment. GFFR crews did a fantastic job of quickly knocking down the fire and keeping it from extending to the rest of the apartment building. There were no injuries as a result of the fire. Of the occupants of the apartment building, some of the residents were provided with services from the American Red Cross. In contrast, other residents were put up in local hotels by the apartment’s owner. The fire caused minor damage to the fire apartment; however, there was smoke and water damage to the entire apartment building. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The second fire occurred at an apartment complex at the intersection of 8th Ave S and 54th St. S. The fire was reported at 6:35 am. GFFR crews were dispatched at 6:38 am and arrived on the scene at 6:42 am. The first arriving GFFR crew found a plant pot and a plastic chair on fire on a second-story balcony. GFFR was able to quickly extinguish the fire and keep it from extending into the apartment building. There was minor damage to the balcony, and no occupants were reported to be displaced. At this time, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
