Fire damages part of Whitefish storage facility

The Whitefish Fire Department responded to a Wisconsin Avenue property early Friday morning after a fire started in the building’s attic.

According to Fire Chief Tom Kennelly, the fire broke out in the residential living area of the manager’s office for the property, a storage facility.

“It started in the attic area and the wife smelled smoke. When they investigated, they found smoke in the building and at the same time their smoke alarm went off, so they evacuated,” Kennelly said. “The family — two adults and two children — escaped unharmed.”

Whitefish firefighters, along with automatic aid from the Kalispell and Evergreen fire departments, were able to knock down the fire in about 15 minutes, despite some challenges.

“There was heavy smoke and flames upon our arrival,” Kennelly said. “Because of the heavy smoke downstairs, they had to do a downstairs search before they realized the fire was up above them.”

The blaze caused extensive damage in the roof and attic area above the office and storage room as well as heavy smoke and heat damage in other parts of the living area. It is believed to have been caused by an electrical issue.