Thursday March 28th, 2024 12:29PM

Park Hill apartment fires ruled accidental, rekindle

By Lauren Hunter Multimedia Journalist

The Gainesville Fire Department Fire Marshal's Office has ruled the cause of the first fire at the Park Hill Apartment complex in Gainesville earlier this week as accidental. A second fire that started in the same building within 24 hours has been determined to be a rekindle of the first.

A press release sent today from the City of Gainesville Fire Department states that the first fire started from an electrical issue with the water heater in the utility closet. The fire caused heavy damage to one upper level apartment and moderate damage to a neighboring apartment. Two apartments on the lower level were also impacted by smoke and water damage.

The fire rekindled the next day by unnoticed embers that got trapped between the building's newer metal roof and older shingle roof. Investigators believe that heavy winds that day caused the embers to reignite. The press release states that while it is not uncommon for a newer roof to be placed on an older roof, it did make the fire more difficult to extinguish.

On the day of the second fire, residents noticed the smoke and fire early on and were able to safely evacuate the building. No injuries were reported from either fires.

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