Moorland Road apartment fire causes $20,000 in damage

A Madison fire official said a fire Friday evening that caused $20,000 in damage was caused by unattended cooking.

According to a City of Madison Fire Department report, firefighters responded to a 38-unit apartment complex at 1042 Moorland Road shortly after 9 p.m. for a report of a fire.

The fire department spokeswoman, Bernadette Galvez, said when firefighters arrived, occupants were evacuating the building. The department’s Ladder 6 crew found a hallway at the basement level was filled with smoke. Firefighters entered apartment No. 6, where they saw flames coming from the kitchen area, the report said, and the crew quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the building.

Residents were allowed to return to their apartments, except for the occupants of the apartment where the fire occurred, Galvez said.

The American Red Cross said volunteers from its Badger Chapter are providing housing and food to one person — who was home at the time of the fire — while a damage assessment is completed.

The report said the fire was caused by unattended cooking, which damaged the kitchen appliances and cabinets and caused moderate smoke damage throughout the one-bedroom apartment.