Colony Apartments residents wake up to early morning fire

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A family at the Colony apartments in Columbus had a startling wake-up call.

Columbus Fire and Rescue responded around 8 this morning to a fire that started in the bedroom.

The smoke alarm gave the family enough time to get out of the apartment without injury.

As National Fire Prevention Week is in full force, fire experts say most house fires can be prevented before the flames get out of hand.

Columbus Fire Marshall Michael Walker said people can often avoid experiencing a house fire when the right measures are in place beforehand.

“Be careful using extension cords. Candles that unattended, especially making sure you blow them out before you go to bed at night. When you’re cooking, make sure that you stay alert., that you’re not going to sleep while having something cooking. If you are cooking have a tight fitting lid next to your cooking, so if you have a grease fire you can put it over that to smother it out. Also make sure your smoke alarms are working cause that’s your early detection,” said Walker.

The fire was contained to one unit. The direct cause of the fire and the extent of the damages are yet to be determined.

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