Fishers apartment fire ruled accidental

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — Fishers Fire Department has ruled an apartment fire from earlier this month as accidental.

Fishers Deputy Fire Marshall, John Earl, said the fire at Sunblest Apartments on Sept. 8 started just before 3 p.m. after smoking material was improperly disposed from an upstairs balcony.

The fire claimed the entire building, located at 12193 Sunrise Circle, and displaced eight families. Damages are estimated at about $1.7 million, which includes $1 million in structural damage.

No residents were hurt and two pets were rescued. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

All families were relocated and all but one family had renter’s insurance.

Sunblest Apartments, the Delaware Township Trustee and the American Red Cross provided assistance to those families. Community members also donated over $12,000.

The fire department says removal of the building’s remains will begin Tuesday.

Fishers Fire Department is encouraging everyone to properly extinguish smoking materials, campfires and ash by wetting them down completely and disposing of them in a metal container and to never leave them near a building or in a garage.