At 0426 hours on August 15, 2006, the Boise (ID) Fire Department responded to a reported fire in a multiple family dwelling located at the corner of Curtis and Overland Roads. The caller reported to dispatch that “there were flames everywhere”; prior to disconnecting, the caller stated, “It just blew up.” After receiving this updated information from the dispatch center, the chief from the second battalion ordered a second alarm at 0429 hours, which brought a response of five engines, two trucks, two battalion chiefs, an incident safety officer, and a number of command staff.
The structure was a two-story, wood-frame multiple family dwelling approximately 50 feet wide by 150 feet long, consisting of 16 apartments, eight per floor. The building used traditional wood framing members; no lightweight engineered wood members were used. At each end of the building, four apartments (two per floor, set side by side) faced four similarly arranged apartments across a breezeway. Two sets of four apartments, set back wall to back wall, were between the end apartments. A common attic area extended from end to end over the apartments and breezeways. The fire building was one of 10 in the apartment complex. There was a manual “pull station” installed in the building. The closest exposure was 25 feet away.
The first-arriving engine company on-scene reported 25-percent involvement, with heavy fire showing on the D side of the building. The company officer passed command to Battalion 2. The fire involvement was concentrated in the breezeway area between the apartments at the northwest corner. This also blocked the main egress of many occupants. A post-fire analysis showed that there was debris and old furniture in the breezeway, creating a large fire load. It also appears that the fire started in the breezeway and extended to the first- and second-floor apartments.
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