Burning Mattress Forces Residents From Raleigh Apartment Building

A smouldering mattress was cause for concern at Raleigh's Westgrove Towers Thursday morning.

Firefighters say a burning mattress was found in an eleventh floor apartment at 4700 Westchase Street, behind the Kmart on Western Boulevard.

The apartment had been vacant since the end of June.

Alarms and sirens brought people out of the building and to the parking lot as firemen doused the bedding.

"I could smell the smoke. Then I saw it was coming from the apartment adjacent to where I live," says resident Charles McRant. "I started going down the stairwell and I ran into the apartment manager who was trying to radio people to let them know what was going on."

No one was injured and the only damage was in the apartment where the mattress burned.