2-alarm fire at Tri-Cities apartment complex. It was worse than initial 911 reports

The cause of a two-alarm fire Friday afternoon at a Kennewick apartment complex remains under investigation, according to Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael.

The initial report called into 911 was that a balcony was on fire at the Dolphin Apartment complex at the busy intersection of Kennewick Avenue and North Yelm Street.

But the Kennewick Fire Department arrived to find smoke billowing from apartments on the second and third floors on the south side of the three-story building at 9 N. Waverly Place, according to Michael.

Additional crews were requested from the Pasco and Richland fire departments.

Fire crews went into the burning apartments to fight the blaze, while Pasco firefighters climbed to the roof to evaluate its stability and check for fire there.

As additional crews arrived, the building was searched to confirm that everyone had evacuated safely, according to Michael.

The fire was controlled in just under half an hour, with crews remaining on scene for several hours to clean up and make sure of no flareups.

In addition, Kennewick firefighters monitored the building throughout the night as some people in neighboring apartments returned to their homes.

Several tenants were displaced by the fire and smoke damage.

The Kennewick Fire Department worked with a chaplain and the apartment management to find temporary housing for them.

This story was originally published February 4, 2023 at 3:39 PM.