A nail is being blamed for a two-alarm fire that occurred in a garden apartment Arlington, TX, on Jan. 30.
The first arriving firefighters found smoke in a ground floor unit of the two-story building. With no flames visible, crews started opening up walls where they found fire running from the first floor up.
Additional crews on the second floor, found smoke and fire in the walls. "It crawled through all of those spaces in the walls and ceiling" said Arlington Fire Department Arson Investigator Morkita Anthony. As crews vented the roof, they found fire moving through the attic space as well.
According to Anthony, a nail in the brick tie arched with the building electrical service, starting the fire.
It took 32 firefighters utilizing six engines and two quints close to 80 minutes to bring the smoky fire under control. Extensive overhaul was used to assure the fire did not spread to other units.