Fire displaces residents of apartment complex; building deemed uninhabitable

21 people were displaced following a weekend fire in Aberdeen.

According to Aberdeen Fire Chief Dave Golding, the fire was reported around 4:30a early Saturday morning in apartments on Lafayette Street in North Aberdeen.

Responders arrived to find heavy fire coming from an apartment in the six-unit building.

Chief Golding tells KXRO that crews attempted an interior, offensive fire attack, but due to fire conditions inside the structure and resulting roof collapse, they were forced to withdraw from the building. 

The fire was attacked from an exterior, defensive stance until crews were able to control the fire enough to allow interior operations to resume.

While automatic aid responses would usually be called from both the Hoquiam Fire Department and Grays Harbor Fire District 2, due to other calls for service in their respective areas at the time that assistance was unavailable.

Of the six units, three suffered significant fire damage as the remaining three received smoke and water damage. 

The building sustained an estimated $450,000 in damage and was declared uninhabitable. 

The American Red Cross was called to provide shelter and services to the 21 displaced residents. 

No injuries were reported.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing at this time.