     A pre-dawn fire has destroyed the Maple Ridge Apartments in Chadron.
Fire Chief Branden Martens says only two of the units were occupied at the time of the 4 am fire and there were no injuries. The cause remains under investigation.
Chief Martens says crews were actually called out to two fires at the 2-building complex just north of Calvary Cemetery at 10th and Maple.
The first was around midnight on an exterior patio and was extinguished while the first crews responding to the second call about 4:00 found the east structure fully engulfed with the fire having started at the top and burned downward.
The east building was gutted while the west building, separated from the east by a walkway, suffered major damage to the roof and upper floor.
Crews were at the scene for about 5 hours. Units from the Crawford Volunteer Fire Department responded to a mutual aid call with the State Fire Marshal’s Office also responding.
     The Maple Ridge Apartments were built in 1998 with a pair of 2-story buildings, each with 9 apartments.