Colonial Crest fire began in kitchen

The fire that damaged units of Colonial Crest Apartments Saturday was caused by unattended cooking left on a stove, said Scott Smith, chief fire inspector for the Bloomington Fire Department.\nIt is suspected a resident fell asleep after beginning to cook, he said.\nFirefighters responded at 7:04 a.m. to the blaze, which originated in the kitchen of 703 W. Gourley Pike No. 4, Smith said. The townhouse was destroyed, and smoke and water damaged No. 3 and 5, he said. \nSix people were forced to jump from a second story window, located about 10 to 12 feet off the ground. Two jumped from the back of the home onto a concrete patio, one suffering from a broken heel and the other from cuts and burns, Smith said. Four people jumped from the front of the townhouse onto the grass.\nSmith said the fire department was unable to locate working smoke detectors. Colonial Crest managers said detectors had been working a month before, Smith said. Neighbors said their smoke detectors are in working order.\n"It's just something people need to be conscious of, especially in apartments," said Ed Vande Sande, director of emergency services for the Monroe County American Red Cross, which responded to the fire.\nLynette and Shawn Krause-Loner, who live several units down, said someone ran down the sidewalk, banging on doors to warn residents. The couple said they answered their door, unlike many in the area whose doors had to be kicked in by firefighters.\n"I opened the door and saw fire shooting out on the right side," said Shawn Krause-Loner, a graduate student in the folklore department. \nThey said they saw minimal damage in No. 5, but No. 4 was completely hollowed. \nLynette Krause-Loner said the blaze was "already horrible" when firefighters arrived.\n"I was just watching it burn," she said. "It was totally taking out the top."\nAbout 19 people found substitute housing over the weekend because they could not return to their homes, Vande Sande said.\nA Jackson Heights Apartment fire in 2000 caused eight units to be evacuated, he said. A 1999 fire at Knightridge Manor Apartments killed a local DJ and forced about 30 from their homes.