LAFAYETTE, L.a. — Eight people are out of their homes tonight after an overnight apartment fire in Lafayette which happened on East University Avenue.
Lafayette Fire Department told KATC it started from a grease fire early this morning when a 23-year-old male resident was frying french fries on his stove. LFD says the fire caused major damage to unit three of the apartment complex along with four other units.
"Our doorbell rang and were pounding on our door and we're kinda concerned," said Doug McLeod, who lives nearby and witnessed the fire. "I didn't know what was going on but eventually then we got a text from our neighbor and she had been trying to wake us up from the fire next door."
Gary Jackson lives in a unit right next door to where the fire started.
"I been, you know I been homeless," Jackson said. "I lived on the streets for almost 25 years, I been in that place for almost 6 — over 6 years, okay? That's all I asked is to ever be off those dog-gone streets and now I'm up here with no place to go?"
KATC spoke with LFD's Alton Trahan who said this is a situation they see all too often.
"Those types of fires, when we look at not only Lafayette but throughout the state and nation, that's the leading cause of the fire," Trahan said. "You know it started in the kitchen and has to relate to someone cooking — the problem is we walk away from it and we go to another room and we may fall asleep and any time you have grease on fire it's gonna ignite."
Trahan said the fire appears to be accidental and the tenant responsible will not be held legally accountable.
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