UPDATE 8/5 (5:05 P.M.):
A fire broke out at a low-income housing building Monday night. Tucson House, the 17-story building that houses hundreds of people, was set to undergo a multi-million-dollar renovation in July. Tucson Fire says while there were no evacuations, over a dozen people were displaced.
Just after 8 p.m., Tucson Assistant Fire Chief Paul Moore says firefighters arrived at Tucson House to see smoke and flames shooting out of a window on the 13th floor. Firefighters used their ladder truck to spray water through the window to try to contain the initial fire.
“And then we started to make our way up to the fire floor and attack the fire and begin evacuation or protection in place in this instant of all the residents," Moore said.
Moore says a “protect-in-place” order was set for the majority of residents as the hallway was filled with hot smoke with no visibility.
“Every situation is different, but when we encounter a fire with a high occupancy, especially a high rise, often it's best to protect-in-place, have them stay within their rooms while we attack the fire and hopefully suppress that fire," said Moore.
Tucson House has 408 units and about 300 occupants.
“If you start a mass evacuation, you could expose them to those smoke and elements. So in this instance, the commander on scene made the call to protect-in-place, which was the right call," Moore said.
One resident living on the first floor, Brian, says he heard some commotion around the time the fire started.
“I wasn't sure exactly what was going on," said Brian. "There's always something going on here, so I decided to take a peek, looked out, saw a little bit of smoke, smelled it, came out, asked one of the guards what happened and he said that there was a fire up on the 13th floor.”
Brian says he stayed in his unit after finding out what happened.
Ann Chanecka, Director of Housing, Community Development for the City of Tucson, says 14 people were displaced and relocated to a hotel. Nine of them returned to their units and five are still in a hotel until their units are cleared of smoke and water damage.
“Most of them will be able to move back by the end of the week with the exception of two units," Chanecka said.
In July, renovations worth $188 million were supposed to begin at Tucson House, lasting about 30 months. Chanecka says residents are still being relocated ahead of construction.
“We're looking at by the end of the year financially closing on a major renovation, and so, we'll be in construction around the end of the year, early next year," Chanecka said.
Assistant Chief Moore says no injuries were reported aside from minor smoke inhalation and the cause of fire is still under investigation.
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Fire crews battled a blaze on the 13th floor of the public housing high-rise known as Tucson House, Monday night.
Tucson Fire crews were dispatched to the fire at just after 8 p.m., according to a social media post from TFD.
The first crew on the scene reported the fire on a 13th floor balcony, with flames spreading to the apartment above.
A second alarm was called due to fatigue and the need for additional resources, the post said.
The building was not evacuated, the post said. TFD instead issued a protect-in-place order for the majority of residents, including the people who lived on the 13th floor, due to hot smoke and no visibility.
Several residents were evaluated for respiratory issues, but no one was transported.
At least 12 residents are displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
