Firefighters found the fire in the boiler room after a person on the third floor smelled smoke, according to the department. The second and third floors of the building were evacuated as firefighters worked on the blaze, which was extinguished in about 10 minutes.
None of the 46 units in the wood-framed structure burned, but smoke damage spread through the building, according to firefighters.
The Red Cross said it is providing food and lodging to 20 families who were displaced because of out-of-order utilities.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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