Officials: Tenant fell asleep while smoking, caused mattress to start fire in Elkhart apartment

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind.—One person was taken to the hospital after falling asleep while smoking, causing a mattress to start on fire, according to the Elkhart Fire Department.

Firefighters were sent to an address in the 1200 block of Midtown Court on June 1 around 2 a.m. for reports of a structure fire.

At the scene, heavy smoke could be seen on the third and fourth floors of the apartment building.

Occupants left the building with help from police.

Flames had broken through a window and were venting out of the third floor windows.

Once the fire was extinguished, investigators learned that one of the occupants who had been taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation had been smoking in bed and fell asleep, causing the mattress to catch fire.

According to officials, the apartment where the fire started had no working smoke detectors at the time of the fire but other areas in the building did have them.

The Red Cross assisted the 13 occupants that were displaced because of the fire.

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