Jan. 18—An apartment house caught fire Sunday in Elkhart.

Elkhart City Police were called to 1826 Hemlock Lane around 7:20 p.m. Sunday for smoke in the building.

After further investigation, the ceiling was pulled down and an active fire was found in the floor joist assembly between the first and second floor near the laundry room, a report from the fire department reads.

The fire was extinguished after further overhaul into the floor joist space and attic space above the second-floor apartment, according to the news release.

Two families were relocated due to the fire, and occupants unaffected by the fire were able to return to their residences. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

DUPLEX FIRE

Electrical wiring was also blamed for another fire on Wednesday.

The Elkhart Fire Department responded to the call around 10:16 p.m. Wednesday for the smell of smoke at a duplex at 843 and 845 Grant St.

Emergency personnel said they found heavy smoke in the attic and, after pulling down ceiling drywall, found that the fire had consumed numerous wooden roof trusses and cellulose insulation. There was no active fire, but the trusses were damaged, and evidence showed the fire had been burning for about three to six hours prior. Extensive overhaul and ventilation were performed to insure all smoldering insulation was extinguished, a report from the department reads.

The cause was determined to be an electrical failure.

AWOL

Keith Alan Carter, 33, of South Bend, reportedly failed to return to lawful custody at the Elkhart County Work Release Center, 201 N. Cottage Ave., Goshen, at 3:40 p.m. Jan. 12 and is considered absent without leave.

HIT-AND-RUN

—A 43-year-old woman reported to Goshen police at 7:42 a.m. Wednesday that her car was struck by another vehicle overnight while parked along 14th Street.

—An 18-year-old woman reported to Goshen police at 5:46 p.m. Wednesday that her car was struck while it was parked unoccupied near the 900 block of Lucerne Drive.

—A 68-year-old woman reported to Elkhart County deputies at 8:58 a.m. Wednesday someone backed into her 2020 Kia Sorento at Ind. 13 and C.R. 38 and fled the scene.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

An employee of KO Storage, 52336 Ash Road, Granger, reported to Elkhart County deputies that between Nov. 13 and Dec. 21 someone drilled holes into the door of a storage unit at the facility.

THEFT

—A 44-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies at 6:34 p.m. Tuesday that someone stole an Amazon package from his doorstep in the 20000 block of Falls Creek Drive in Goshen.

—A 36-year-old woman reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 1 a.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday someone stole items from a vehicle in the 27000 block of C.R. 4, Elkhart.

FRAUD

A woman reported to Elkhart County deputies receiving a bill from Verizon on Dec. 29, but said she’d never had an account with the company.