In what was an otherwise quiet yet beautiful fall Friday was interrupted for many in Franklin by a fire at the Harrison Garden Apartments just after lunch.
Luckily, while the apartment building has numerous occupied units, Franklin Fire & Rescue firefighters only needed to rescue one person from a burning apartment.
The person suffered burns and was transported to the hospital by Macon County Emergency Medical Services. One firefighter also suffered minor burns during the rescue and was treated at the scene.
Franklin Fire & Rescue responded to the fire just after 1 p.m. Franklin was joined by West Macon and Clarks Chapel in response to the initial alarm.
As the fire spread into the building’s shared attic, additional alarms were requested for Cowee, Cullasaja and Mountain Valley. Crews stopped further spread through the attic, limiting additional fire damage. Otto provided standby coverage at Franklin Fire & Rescue’s station.
The building had seven occupied apartments. Two sustained fire damage, and two others sustained water damage. Residents are unable to return to the building at this time. The building requires roof repairs. The American Red Cross was called to assist residents of all seven apartments.
The cause remains under investigation by the Franklin Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Macon County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Franklin Fire & Rescue thanks all departments and agencies that assisted with the response and provided station coverage.
