Fishers Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Josh Earl has ruled the cause of the Sunblest Apartments fire on Sept. 8 as accidental – which displaced eight families – from improperly discarded smoking material on an upstairs balcony. The building was a complete loss and the removal of the remains began Tuesday.
Seven of the eight families had renters insurance and all families were able to be relocated. Sunblest Apartments, Delaware Township Trustee and American Red Cross assisted families after the fire and the community donated over $12,000 in cash, gift cards and materials.
Firefighters arrived within two minutes of being dispatched, and 31 firefighters took an hour and half to bring the fire under control.
Dollar loss is estimated at: Structure, $1,000,000; and Contents, $700,000.
There were no civilian injuries, and two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
Firefighters remind everyone the importance of properly extinguishing smoking materials, campfires, charcoal ash, and fireplace ash by wetting them down completely and placing in a metal container instead of a plastic one. Never place the ashes near a building or in your garage.
Renters and homeowners insurance makes recovery from these incidents so much easier. It doesn’t always replace everything, but without insurance, it replaces nothing.