Automatic Sprinklers Knock Down Hillsboro Fire

A fire Wednesday morning could have been a lot worse had it not been for automatic sprinklers.

The Hillsboro Fire Department responded to the Palladia Apartments at 2615 Northwest 194th Terrace around 5:12 Wednesday morning.

A resident of the apartment came out of his bedroom in a third floor apartment to discover the apartment filling with smoke.

They tried to put out the fire with a blanket before fleeing.

"The automatic sprinkler operated exactly as designed," said Hillsboro fire investigator Martin Stapleton.

"If it wasn't for them having an active sprinkler system in the unit this fire would have progressed to a much larger fire."

Fire officials determined the fire was caused by combustible materials left too close to a wall heater.