At 02:17 hours this morning, Cheltenham Fire Company and multiple assist companies were dispatched to a building fire at Elkins Park Terrace Apartments. There had been multiple calls to 911 reporting heavy smoke on the third floor. Deputy Chief Schuck arrived to alarms sounding, heavy smoke evident on the 3rd floor and in the stairwell and most importantly residents were evacuating. The fire was located in one apartment on the third floor, but due to the door being left open, smoke had spread throughout that floor. All apartments were searched while other crews extinguished the fire and multiple ladder crews ventilated and checked the roof area to insure that the fire had not spread.

This fire points out multiple important fire safety lessons. Always have a working alarm system or smoke detectors and never ignore them when they activate. Whether it's your home or a public building, whether it's day or night, always evacuate. There were no injuries this morning because residents responded appropriately. Another important point is to close doors behind you as you leave. This significantly helps stop the spread of fire and smoke.

Thank you to the residents for reacting responsibly and thank you to all of our neighboring fire companies for their help. Stay safe everyone.