A resident of the Uptown East apartments suffered burns after a couch fire, which was partially doused by an activated sprinkler on Thursday afternoon, according to a release from the Valparaiso Fire Department.
The department was called around 12:09 p.m. on Jan. 9 to 1405 Laporte Avenue for an alarm activation, according to the release.
First responders arriving at the scene investigated the cause of the alarm and the maintenance staff told firefighters that there was a haze in a hallway and water was coming from underneath the door of an apartment.
Firefighters located the first-floor apartment and found water coming out from under the door. Firefighters entered the apartment and discovered an activated sprinkler head and a couch fire that had been partially extinguished by the sprinkler.
A primary search of the apartment found a conscious person in the bedroom. The victim sustained burns on their body and was transported to Northwest Health by Valparaiso Fire Department Rescue One. A cat was also found alive in the fire apartment.
The fire was extinguished by firefighters with minimal additional water.
The fire is being investigated by the Valparaiso Fire Department Investigation Bureau. The results of the investigation are pending.
