At about 8:50 am this morning the Danville Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment fire at the Hilltop Garden Apartments at 156 Forestdale Pl. on the city's north side. The first unit arriving on the scene reported smoke coming from a third floor window. Fire crews made entry at the main entrance and made their way to the third floor where they found an apartment heavily involved with fire and smoke. The sprinkler system had already activated and was keeping the fire in check. An attack fire line was extended through the apartment window from the outside to finish extinguishment of the blaze. As soon as it could be determined that the fire had not extended beyond the apartment, crews turned the sprinkler system off to limit water damage to a minimum. A primary search was conducted of the apartment and no one was found inside the unit. All the apartments on all floors of the south end of the building were searched and evacuated. There were no injuries to residents nor fire personnel during the operation. Residents on the south end of the building were moved to the north end and protected in place until all danger was mitigated.
The department responded with five engines, one ladder truck, a Safety Officer and a Command Officer. In all 23 fire personnel were on the scene for about three hours making sure all danger of fire was taken care of and helping displaced residents get assistance. 19 occupants were displaced with 12 of those being taken care of by family members and 7 being assisted by the Red Cross and the Danville Burn Fund. Police, Utilities and the Danville Life Saving Crew also assisted with the operation. The cause of the fire was discarded smoking materials.