Fire at a Boise motel early this morning
At just before 6 a.m. this morning, Boise firefighters were called to a Fairview Ave. motel after a resident called 911 saying they woke up to the smell of smoke.
When firefighters arrived they evacuated the motel, which has been turned into eight small short-term apartments. Firefighters found flames coming from a motel room that was unoccupied. Smoke had already filled the common attic throughout the building. Firefighters were able to get the wall and ceiling opened up and knock the fire down fairly quickly. The unit where the fire began was heavily damaged by fire and firefighters efforts to keep the fire from spreading to other units. Occupied units suffered little if any smoke damage.
Boise Fire Department investigators say it appears an old natural gas heating unit started a fire in the wall of the vacant room.
Firefighters found the smoke detector in the unit where the fire started did not have batteries. Firefighters want to remind all apartment residents and homeowners to check smoke alarm batteries frequently, not to take them out without being immediately replaced, and to replace the batteries every six months.
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