One person is killed in an early morning apartment fire just west of Columbia.
According to the Boone County Fire Protection District, crews were called shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday to report a fire at a four-unit apartment building in the 4300 block of Belleview Drive.
According to officials, a man who lives below the unit where the fire started called in to report smelling smoke and hearing smoke detectors in the unit above.
When crews arrived, there was smoke coming from the upper unit. One adult male was discovered in that unit. He was removed from the house and treated on the scene. However, he did not survive.
Firefighters were on the scene for approximately three hours. The cause has been identified as unattended cooking. The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the unit’s stove and cabinets. The damage is estimated at $35,000.
Residents in the remaining three units were able to stay in their homes.