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Fire heavily damages apartment house in Centralia

By News Jan 17, 2021 | 8:23 AM

Fire engulfs a vacant apartment house at 130 Condit in Centralia early Sunday morning.  Photo by Tim Ferguson.

 

A home converted into at least four apartments was heavily damaged by fire early Sunday morning.

While the building at 130 Condit at the intersection of North Hickory was listed as abandoned, electricity and gas were still on and Centralia Police had reported a squatter in the building recently that apparently had used a gas device for light and heat.

Centralia City Firefighters say there was no one present when they arrived on the scene at 12:41 Sunday morning.  They found smoke coming from the foundation, basement, first-floor windows, and through the roof.    Because of the fire in the basement as well as in the attic area above, firemen fought the fire from a defensive stance.    Flames eventually engulfed the frame building and burned through the roof.

All available Centralia city firemen were called to the scene.

The cause or the location where the fire started has not been determined.   All the doors were secure except one leading to the basement.

The building is owned by Gary Kiselewski of Waltonville.   Marion County property records list the value of the building at $18,000.

One fire truck and crew remained on the scene Sunday morning.

Centralia Firefighters work to extinguish fire inside vacant apartment house early Sunday morning. Photo by Tim Ferguson.

Fire burns through the roof of a vacant apartment house building at 130 Condit in Centralia early Sunday morning. Photo by Tim Ferguson.

Centralia City Firemen work to put out the fire in the attic of a vacant apartment house at 130 Condit Place. Photo by Tim Ferguson.