Carport Fire Sends Smoke Billowing Over Sierra Madre

A fire that broke out in a Sierra Madre carport sent smoke billowing overhead  Thursday morning and spread to an apartment building before firefighters were able to extinguish it, police said.

The fire erupted in a carport behind an apartment building at about 8:50 a.m. in the 00 block of Esperanza Avenue, officer Henry Amos said.

"It was a car fire in the carport of the location and I believe the structure caught fire as well," Amos said.

The cause of the blaze remained under investigation, Amos said. A perimeter of police tape was set up behind the building and both sides of Mariposa Avenue were blocked off to through traffic.

A burned out 1980s model pickup truck could be seen in the parking area of the apartment building as firefighters continued to douse it with water shortly after 10 a.m. The fire was contained before 9:30 a.m.

Check back with Patch for more details as we get them.