The Boonville Fire Department is commending a quick-thinking resident for preventing a fire Saturday, Aug. 16 from spreading beyond an attic space above a Boonville apartment unit.

According to the department, firefighters responded to the Boone Village Apartments just before 8 p.m. for reports of a kitchen fire. Firefighters didn’t see a fire in the kitchen when they arrived, but the resident told crews that her lights had been flickering throughout the day. Crews used an infrared camera and discovered a smoldering fire above the unit. After placing tarps to cover items in the residence, firefighters removed a portion of the nearby ceiling to access the attic, where they discovered insulation on fire near a light fixture that had spread into the surrounding trusses.

Crews were on the scene for about 90 minutes, with one firefighter treated for heat exhaustion. The damage was limited to the affected attic space and ceiling area. The Red Cross was called to assist the affected resident and three children who lived in the apartment.