Five taken to hospital after apartment fire
JANESVILLE—Three adults and two juveniles were taken to Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center after an early Thursday morning apartment complex fire.
One was admitted while the other four would be treated and released, said Sgt. Aaron Ellis of the Janesville Police Department.
The fire was reported at Franklin Court Apartments, 2621 Harvard Drive, at 2:21 a.m. Thursday, said a Rock County Communications spokesman.
Police and fire crews were still at the scene at 5 a.m., Ellis said.
Upon arrival, Officer Benjamin Thompson said smoke was coming from the building and people were trapped on two second-floor balconies.
“After we got people off the balcony when the fire department arrived, we helped carry children, who didn’t have shoes and were wearing pajamas, to a warmer apartment,” said police officer Benjamin Thompson.
Although it is not known if the cause of the fire is suspicious, the fire department has requested a detective from the police department to investigate at the scene.
“I think they just don’t know the source of the fire,” Ellis said.
A Janesville city bus was keeping some displaced tenants warm and the American Red Cross had been called to provide aid.
All but two of the 12 units of the apartment complex were occupied at the time of the fire, Ellis said. Everyone, including pets made it out of the fire safely, he said.
Cause and damage of the fire are not known at this time, but Ellis said it is possible the building is a total loss.
