Some residents of Lee Manor Apartments have been temporarily displaced after a small fire in one room led to significant water damage on three floors due to the sprinkler system Wednesday afternoon, according to the Owensboro Fire Department.
OFD Battalion Chief Steve Leonard said the fire originated on the stove in a third-floor apartment in the west wing with one occupant present at the time.
“It was a grease fire in a pan. She tried to extinguish that by putting that in the sink and running water on it,” he said. “It spattered burning grease down the cabinet, which extended the fire causing the sprinkler head to go off.”
The occupant exited the room and was not injured, Leonard said. The sprinkler system contained the fire until OFD arrived, and they extinguished it quickly with a water cannon.
“There was very little fire damage,” Leonard said. “There’s some smoke damage, and a great deal of water damage.”
The water traveled down to the ground floor. Only some rooms in the west wing from the first through third floor were affected. Some of those residents were displaced due to the water damage. Red Cross is assisting those occupants.
City of Owensboro buses were on site to provide air conditioning to residents until they were able to return inside or be transported to shelter, Leonard said.
The Owensboro Police Department, AMR ambulance, and the Daviess County Emergency Management Agency also responded.
Lee Manor is located at 1651 West 4th Street.