Investigators: Fire at Laurenz Place Apartments started in kitchen

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.—Fire investigators said Monday that they have determined the cause of a fire that occurred at the Laurenz Place Apartments on May 12.

Around 9 a.m. on Sunday, the South Bend Fire Department responded to reports of a commercial fire at Laurenz Place Apartments, located in the 3200 block of Rue Voltaire.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find a working fire in one apartment on the second floor. Crews extinguished the fire and kept it from advancing into the attic space.

Officials noted that the fire was already somewhat contained when the fire department arrived due to the fire suppression system now in place in the kitchens at Laurenz Place Apartments.

No injuries were reported.

The fire was determined to have started on the top of the range in the kitchen with an unattended pan of oil heating up on the range top.