Cause Of Fire At Abandoned Apartment Complex In New Orleans East Under Investigation

From the City of New Orleans:

February 8, 2021

On Monday, February 8, 2021, at 8:13 am, the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) responded to reports of a fire in an abandoned multi-unit wood framed apartment complex near the corner of Curran and Read Blvds. The first NOFD company arrived on the scene of 10141 Curran Blvd. at 8:19 am, reporting heavy smoke billowing from the left-middle side of the building. A second alarm was called for at the time of arrival. Firefighters immediately commenced a defensive attack on the blaze due to the building being abandoned since Hurricane Katrina. Fire crews attacked the fire cautiously due to the uncertainty of the building’s stability. A third alarm was called for shortly after arrival at 8:25 am. The bulk of the fire was located on the left side of the building. That created several unique challenges. There were several occupied townhomes adjacent to the fire building, as well as multiple power lines located on Curran Blvd. that were impeding firefighter’s ability to reach the fire with aerial apparatus. Fire crews worked diligently to protect the occupied homes and suppress the fire by making their attacks from an adjacent street and the driveway of a neighboring apartment complex. New Orleans Police Department officers assisted by going door to door and helping to evacuate residents from exposed townhome apartments in the 7800 block of Read Blvd. Unfortunately, many of the occupied dwellings received smoke and water damage.
Twenty-one NOFD units carrying sixty-eight Fire Operations personnel worked to bring this incident under control at 10:13 am. There are no firefighter or civilian injuries that have been reported at this time. New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) assisted in the mitigation of this incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Please be advised that travel around the area of Curran and Read Blvd. is currently being restricted. Please use alternative routes.
911 Call Received: 8:13 a.m.
1st Alarm: 8:14 a.m.
On Scene: 8:19 a.m.
2nd Alarm: 8:19 a.m.
3rd Alarm: 8:25 a.m.
Under Control: 10:13 a.m.
NOFD Personnel: 68
NOFD Units: 21
Cause: Under Investigation
Injuries: None Reported

This press release was produced by the City of New Orleans. The views expressed are the author's own.