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Fire at Boise four-plex early Monday morning displaces families, but no one is injured

A properly installed self-closing door from a garage to a main living space helped keep a fire at a four-plex from becoming even worse Monday morning, according to a news release from the Boise Fire Department.

The structure fire occurred at a building in the 6900 block of Maxwell Lane just before 4 a.m. Monday, Boise Fire said, and firefighters were at the scene within 5 minutes. Flames were shooting from the front side of the building.

Residents of the two-story four-plex smelled smoke and opened a door to the garage to discover flames, the release said. They escaped before firefighters arrived, so no one was injured. Four fire engines and two ladder trucks were part of the response from Boise Fire to get the blaze under control and keep it from spreading to attached apartments.

Firefighters said they were assisted by the self-closing door from the garage to a main living area, which helped limit spread. Boise building codes require that multi-dwelling units with an attached garage have such doors in cases of blazes such as this, according to the release.

“The closed door between the garage and the living space prevented these residents from facing more extensive damages to their home. Safety measures like this, as well as a quick response from the fire department, helped stop this fire from spreading throughout the structure,” said Battalion Chief Brian Ashton.

The fire was contained to one garage, the laundry room and the second story of one apartment, according to Boise Fire. Two other apartments received heavy smoke damage. Fire inspectors reported the cause of the fire to be accidental.

The Boise Fire Local 149 Burnout Fund is assisting the three families who were displaced, the release said.