Apartment Fire Sends Three To Hospital

(HILLVIEW, Ky., June 3rd, 2003, 1 p.m.) -- A mother and her two children were hospitalized Tuesday after an early-morning apartment fire in Bullitt County.

They are recovering from burns to their legs and hands. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The fire began just before 5 o'clock at the Brooks Run apartments on Blue Lick Road. Firefighters say the blaze damaged eight out of the 18 units in one building. Fire officials say the ceilings collapsed in three of the damaged units. Three other units sustained water damage.

A resident of one of the apartments was surprised when he returned home to find his building in flames.

At least one-quarter of the 18-unit apartment was involved in flames when firefighters arrived. "We were able to get into two apartments on the top floor to pull ceilings down and stop the fire at that point," said Zonetown Assistant Fire Chief Rob Orkies. "What was burning was not our concern -- it was keeping the rest of the apartment complex from going up."

Wanda Propes went back inside her burning apartment to rescue her pet dog. "They beat on my door for awhile, and I didn't know what they was doing. So I finally got up. And when they tpold me what happened, I got my dog out."

This isn't the first time the complex has caught fire. Propes said it burned about a year ago. "And this woman, Martha, she lost everything in her apartment on the second floor because the first floor burned." That fire was caused by an electrical problem.

The cause of Tuesday's blaze was not immediately determined.

The Red Cross is assisting the families displaced by the fire, many of whom lost all their possessions.

Online Reporter: Shannon Davidson

Online Producer: Michael Dever