Smoke streams from the second floor apartment of 420 South Baldwin Street. No one was hurt in the fire which was started by a washing machine.
Six residents and their three pets are safe after a washing machine caught fire in a second floor laundry room at 420 South Baldwin Street Saturday night. Units from fire stations 1, 3 and 4 were called to the property on the corner of Baldwin and Jenifer just before 10 p.m which caused $125,000 in damage.
Smoke was observed pouring from a second-floor window on the Jenifer street side of the house but firefighters had the fire under control quickly and no flames were observed from the street level. Venting of the residence with fans began soon after as smoke from the fire could be smelled as far away as Jolly Bob’s.
Additional survivors of the fire include three pets.
A total of six people lived in the building and were all left homeless due to heavy fire damage in the laundry room along with smoke damage to the second and third floor apartments according to a news release from the Madison Fire Department.
The residents of the affected apartments waited worriedly on the sidewalk in front of 418 South Baldwin with their three pets which they had time to put in pet carriers. One of the residents said that a washing machine was the cause of the fire.
Fire trucks blocked traffic on the corners of Baldwin and Jenifer and slowed traffic on Willy street as a hose was stretched across to a hydrant on the north side of the street. It turns out the line was not needed and soon traffic was flowing again. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
