Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to 64 calls for service from Oct. 7-10, including three structure fires.

At 1:15 a.m. Oct. 7, crews responded to a second alarm fire at 3440 11th Ave. S.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they found three teenage girls trapped on a third-floor balcony of the 12-unit apartment building.

One engine company was able to evacuate the girls from the balcony by a ground ladder, while other firefighters recused an elderly occupant from a first floor hallway, according to GFFR.

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A first floor resident was transported to Benefis East for smoke inhalation. Another resident was assessed for minor smoke inhalation on scene and taken to Benefis East by a friend, according to GFFR.

The fire caused extensive damage to the building and was “labor intensive for crews to get under control,” according to GFFR.

For a second alarm fire, off-duty personnel are called back to staff two engines and a battalion chief. Firefighters from Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard provide mutual aid assistance, according to GFFR.

GFFR responds to two residential fires

The fire was started in a first floor apartment by a cigarette dropped on portable oxygen tubing, according to GFFR.

A second fire started around 4:30 a.m. Oct. 7 at 820 25th St. N. but wasn’t called in for several hours.

The fire started in the Ford pickup that was stored inside an auto repair shop.

No one was at the shop when the fire started, but video footage inside showed the fire starting in the driver side engine compartment and fully consuming the truck, according to GFFR.

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Since the shop was air tight, oxygen didn’t enter the shop and fuel the fire, which mostly snuffed itself out. But because it was airtight, little smoke escaped the building, so the fire went unnoticed until the owner arrived around 11:30 a.m. He noticed some smoke staining, the door was hot and when he entered the building, found it full of smoke, according to GFFR.

Since oxygen entered the shop when doors were opened, the fire flared again with small fires, according to GFFR.

“It is very fortunate that it did not fully involved the building, as GFFR crews were on scene fighting” the other fire at 4:30 a.m., according to GFFR. “If this building would have been fully involved, there is a high likelihood that the entire building along with other nearby buildings, would have been lost.”

The auto shop suffered heavy smoke and heat damage from the fire, which is still under investigation.

GFFR responds to hotel fire

A third fire occurred around 1 a.m. Oct. 10 in an RV on a property at the intersection of 8th Avenue South and 6th Street South.

GFFR crews arrived to find the RV fully involved but was able to quickly extinguish the fire.

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At the time of the fire, there were no occupants in the RV, which is considered a total loss, according to GFFR.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.