Fire at Yakima Senior Apartments Displaces 12 [PHOTOS]

Yakima Fire Department investigators are searching for the cause of a fire in West Yakima early Wednesday that damaged six dwellings in the Heatherton Senior Community Apartments at 5701 Chestnut Ave.

Capt. Jeff Pfaff says the fire was reported at about 1:20 a.m. and that firefighters saw flames coming from the attic areas of four of the units.

"A lot of times an attic fire can be electrical, but fires can also start on a wall and climb into the attic," Pfaff says.

Twelve residents were displaced, and damage is estimated at $600,000.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the flames, but no residents were hurt trying to evacuate their apartment units. Yakima Police helped firefighters move people to the nearby Highgate House as they waited for help from family members and the American Red Cross.