Firefighters extinguish blaze at downtown Olympia apartments

Firefighters extinguished a mattress fire that generated a great deal of smoke on the second floor of the Boardwalk Apartments in the 500 block of Capitol Way North about 7 p.m. Friday night.

Firefighters received early notification of the fire due to the Boardwalk Apartment's alarm system, Olympia Fire Department Assistant Chief Pat Dale said. The Boardwalk Apartments are for seniors aged 62 and up, a resident there said.

Dale said the residents of the building were not evacuated, but several tenants nonetheless left their residences due to the alarm. No one was injured, and the fire was confined to the single apartment, he said.

"The alarm just went off, there was smoke coming out of the apartment," tenant Brenda Dunchon said. "The firemen got here fast."

Firefighters did not need to use a hose from a truck in the apartment, but instead carried a water can inside to put the fire out, Olympia Firefighter Jodi Shelman said. The apartment where the fire originated suffered smoke and water damage, Dale said.

The cause of the mattress fire is under investigation, Shelman said. A large crowd of onlookers gathered to watch as smoke billowed from the apartment.

"Mattresses always put out a lot of smoke," Shelman said.

Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5445 jpawloski@theolympian.com