Fire causes $20,000 damage to downtown Olympia apartment Tuesday night

Olympia firefighters responded to a fire at a downtown Olympia apartment about 11:24 p.m. Tuesday after residents reported an alarm and began evacuating.

According to the Olympia Fire Department, no one was injured in the fire at the Monroe Apartments, 119 Columbia St. NW. The resident of the apartment that caught fire said he was visiting next door when he heard the alarm coming from his unit. He looked into the unit and saw heavy smoke. He left with other residents who were evacuating.

Firefighters found heavy smoke in the unit and fire in the kitchen. The fire was extinguished just before midnight.

Residents of the building were able to return to their homes after smoke was cleared from the common hallways, according the fire department.

State Avenue was closed for about an hour.

The Fire Department responded with four engines, one ladder truck, two medic units and a command unit. Lacey Fire District 3 also responded with a ladder truck and engine but returned to Lacey a few moments after arrival.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, but the Fire Department said it appears to have started in the kitchen stove area. Damage is estimated at $20,000.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 6:38 AM with the headline "Fire causes $20,000 damage to downtown Olympia apartment Tuesday night."