A fire breaks out in a kitchen inside a four-unit apartment in the City of Merrill

Early Friday, the Merrill Fire Department handled its fourth structure fire since Thanksgiving, with no injuries reported.

According to a news release, at 6:45 a.m. firefighters responded to a kitchen fire at a four-unit apartment building at 705 N. Memorial Drive in the City of Merrill.

When they got on the scene, there was heavy smoke and firefighters forced entry to an apartment and extinguished the fire.

Only two apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and those residents escaped without injury. The residents were said to have an alternate place to stay for the evening.

"With damage primarily limited to the apartment unit with the fire, it’s optimistic that the other residents will be able to re-occupy their apartments soon," the news release said.

"The fire department was confined to the apartment of origin, however, two cats perished."

The cause of the fire was listed as "unintentional and undetermined at this time."

Others assisting in the response included Merrill Police & Street Departments, Lincoln County Sheriff Office, Corning & Pine River Fire Departments, Wisconsin Public Service, Tomahawk EMS and off-duty Merrill firefighters.

This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: City of Merrill apartment fire quickly contained, no injuries reported