Man starts fire while fixing motorcycle in apartment kitchen

A man trying to fix his motorcycle in his apartment kitchen sparked a fire Sunday morning that left a puppy dead.

Bloomington Police Department officers were dispatched at 7:13 a.m. Sunday to the 1300 block of West 13th Street in response to a fire at an apartment complex.

BPD Officer Brian James responded to the call and arrived before the fire department, said Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. James reported the apartment was fully involved in fire, and the smoke was so thick he was unable to see the subjects standing outside the building until he walked closer and heard them speaking, Drake said.

David Flanders, a 42-year-old complex resident, told police everyone had been evacuated except one puppy. Flanders had a burn on his right arm from his shoulder down past his elbow, Drake said. He also had some of his hair singed.

Flanders told police he was working on his Honda Shadow 1100 motorcycle in his kitchen that morning and took off the gas cap, Drake said. The gas then began leaking. He told police he also had a moped in his pantry with a can of gasoline next to it. The home’s furnace then kicked on and ignited the gas fumes in the residence.

Connecting apartments were also evacuated. No one was hurt, but the puppy died in the fire.