Firefighters battled a third floor apartment fire inside the Seattle Housing Authority building at Melrose and Denny late Saturday afternoon.

The fire was contained to one unit in the Denny Terrace building. One victim was being evaluated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

Smoke and flames were first reported on the south side of the third floor of the 12 story building around 3:16 PM. SFD reported the fire was extinguished 20 minutes later.

Denny was closed to traffic during the large Seattle Fire response.

Denny Terrace is part of the Seattle Housing Authority system and its 218 units provide homes for low income tenants.

We’ll update when SFD determines the cause of the fire. UPDATE 12/15/14 9:10 PM: A Seattle Fire spokesperson tells CHS that a lit cigarette falling into a couch caused Saturday’s blaze:

Fire investigators determined the 100 Melrose Avenue East was an accidental fire.  The cause was a lit cigarette that fell into a couch. The fire caused a minor injury to the apartment resident.  AMR  transported the patient to HMC for minor smoke inhalation.  The damage estimate is $70,000.