Mom Who Saved Kids, Puppy Loses Everything In Apartment Fire; 50 Displaced

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Nearly 50 people were displaced by an overnight fire Monday at an Indianapolis apartment building.

The incident began when a resident of the El Dorado Apartments awoke to the sound of portable fans turning off and saw fire near an outlet that spread to a nearby mattress, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department. The woman had repeatedly notified management of electrical issues in her unit, the department said.

The 40-year-old evacuated her three children — ages 3, 6 and 7 — as well as their Labrador puppy, Chocolate, according to the department, which added that the woman pulled the hallway fire alarm on her way out.

Twelve of the 50 residents of the building at 3656 Green Ash Court had to be rescued with ladders, the department said. One person suffered a minor injury. Most tenants were displaced for the night due to smoke damage, but the woman who lived in the apartment where the fire started lost all her family’s possessions, according to the department, which noted she had lived in the building 12 years and had no insurance.

Indiana Fire Department Victims Assistance was working with apartment management and the Red Cross, according to the department.