KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – Fire officials say a building was damaged in a fire in Keene Monday afternoon after smoke alarms were ignored.

According to a news release from the Keene Fire Department, first responders were called to the scene at 116 Church at 2:45 pm Monday on a report of a smoke detector sounding and the smell of burning plastic.

Firefighters arrived on scene and found no fire showing from the outside but did note a heavy odor of smoke and plastic from the street. During a search of the building, the fire was located in the front living room of a second floor-apartment with dense black smoke.

As firefighters searched the rest of the building multiple tenants who had not evacuated were located.

Following extensive overhaul the building was turned back over to the owner, and several tenants couldn’t return to their apartments Monday night due to smoke, fire, and water damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the release noted that the apartment unit did not have working smoke detectors, but the smoke in the hallway triggered the hallway alarms to go off.

“Smoke alarms in the hallway and other areas of the building were ignored by tenants and passersby for a long period of time before the first 911 call was made,” the release says. “Multiple tenants remained in their apartments assuming this was a false alarm.”

The estimated property damage was $75,000-$100,000.