Ottawa fire chief shawn dillon says there were no working smoke detectors in the duplex apartment that caught fire late Monday night, October 20th, in the 1000 block of Ash Street. He says one occupant was inside the adjoining residence and was alerted by the smoke. Crews extinguished the fire and performed a primary and secondary search of both residential units. Some fire extensions were found in the attic.

The incident could have been set intentionally. The occupant of the residence, who was not identified, was located and taken into custody for possible human involvement and transported to the Franklin County Detention Center. Ottawa fire requested assistance from the Kansas Fire Marshal’s office to assist both fire and police in the investigation of the fire. That investigation is ongoing. Dillon reminds everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms and if you need them, contact the fire department and they will set a up a time to come to your house and install them for you at no charge.