Nearly a dozen residents were displaced overnight after fire broke out at an apartment complex in Franklin.
The blaze was reported around 2 a.m. Tuesday on North Petway Drive, about a mile from downtown.
#breaking fire officials confirm resident discarded wood chips into potted plant after smoking chicken @NC5 pic.twitter.com/0ZeT9QsDzR
— Alexandra Koehn (@NC5_AKoehn) July 19, 2016
Deputy Fire Chief Todd Horton said smoke was pouring out of the balcony, indicating the fire likely started on the top floor.
Investigators believe a resident had been smoking chicken earlier in the night and discarded the wood chips into a potted plant.
Horton said a resident in the condo woke up smelling smoke. He tried putting out the blaze with water and ran to get a fire extinguisher.
However, it was too late. About 20 units had to be evacuated, with 10 of those residents displaced.
For the most part, the damage was isolated to one condo and the exterior of the building
One person complained of smoke inhalation at the scene.
It's still illegal to have grills or smokers on balconies of apartments. The Fire Marshal would ultimately decide whether the resident would be cited.
The American Red Cross was called in to help residents in two of the most severely damaged units.
