Libby apartment complex heavily damaged in fire

SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 hours, 2 minutes AGO

Flames engulf the patio of an apartment at Park Apartments in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department firefighters train a hose on flames at the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department Engine 9 arrives on the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department's Steve Scheer sprays water at the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department crew members get fresh oxygen tanks at the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steve Lauer attaches a hose to a hydrant at the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

A Flathead Electric worker goes up in a bucket truck to shut off power at the scene of an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon on Main Avenue in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Fire ripped through an apartment Tuesday afternoon in Libby, leaving several people displaced from their residences.

The call came in shortly after 2 p.m. for a fire at the Park Apartments Complex located at the corner of Main Avenue and West Third Street.

Libby Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Lauer and local law enforcement officers were among the first on scene with fire crews arriving a few minutes later.

Some onlookers thought the fire appeared to begin on a second-floor patio, but fire officials said the fire actually began inside an apartment before roaring through a crack in an open window.

It grew fast, engulfing the patio. But fire crews quickly got water on the blaze to put it out.

"The fire was inside No. 11 and we got it put out before it reached the adjacent apartments, but there was damage to them because we had to pull the ceilings to make sure there wasn't any spread," Lauer said. "The guys did a great job of quickly getting water on it and we're really happy we didn't lose the whole building."

Lauer said apartments below the second-floor units had water damage. He estimated the damage at $150,000 but said it could be much more.

Lauer said the building had no sprinkler system and much of the damage could have been minimized with one.

"When it was built, sprinklers weren't required, but in today's code, they are mandatory," Lauer said.

LVFD First Assistant Fire Chief Scott Beagle said law officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Libby Police Department did a good job evacuating the building where several people live, many with pets.

A woman who said she lived next door to the man whose apartment burned said she had smoke in her dwelling, but no fire.

The man who lives in the burned apartment was not at home at the time of the fire. Lauer said he had left the residence about 30 to 60 minutes before the fire began.

Flathead Electric workers were on the scene to turn off the power so firefighters could work. Libby Volunteer Ambulance crews were also on the scene.

Twenty-seven firefighters were on the scene and a few retired volunteer members were also there, helping out where possible. Crews cleared it after three hours of work.

No injuries were reported and an immediate cause of the fire was not known.

Zach McNew, who operates Town and County Property Management which manages the complex, said he was beginning to seek lodging for the residents who had to evacuate.

A representative with the management company thought the displaced residents all had lodging.

The Red Cross was also involved, helping the displaced residents.