Fire damages Cedar Rapids apartment complex

An early morning fire temporarily displaced seven residents of a Cedar Rapids apartment building.

Firefighters were called to 1705 5th Avenue SE at about 4:45 Sunday morning when a tenant was awaken by a smoke alarm sounding and discovered smoke in the kitchen of the apartment unit. The tenant exited the building and knocked on other tenants' doors to alert them of the fire.

Firefighters arrived on scene and found heavy smoke in the kitchen area. Fire crews quickly extinguished cabinets that were on fire above a gas stove in the kitchen. The fire appears to have originated from a pan with grease that was on the stovetop.

The fire damage was contained to the kitchen area of one unit, with some light smoke damage throughout the apartment.

Five adults and two children evacuated from the building during the fire. There were no injuries. The other tenants were allowed to return to their dwellings about 45 minutes after the fire was first reported.