A Friday afternoon blaze destroyed one unit in the three-story condominium building that stands alone on the west bank of the Missouri River, just south of Memorial Bridge at 2200 Pirate's Loop S.E., said Mandan Fire Chief Steve Nardello. The other nine units in the building were all right, he said.

An elderly woman who lives in the ground-floor unit where the fire started, on the building's north side, was able to get to a neighbor's condo across the hall after the fire started, said Mandan Police Lt. Lori Flaten. The woman has a wheelchair, but also is able to do limited walking.

Flaten said the neighbor managed to get the woman out onto the neighbor's deck, but there are steps from the deck and wasn't able to help her get any further. But police arrived shortly after, and Police Officer Jon Vanderhoef picked up the woman and carried her to safety.

Nardello said an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire, which apparently started in the woman's kitchen.

Nardello said the fire department was notified at 1:54 p.m. and had the fire contained by 2:19 p.m.

When they arrived, smoke was seen throughout the building, and smoke and fire alarms in the units were going "to beat the band," he said.

Six people reportedly were home at the time.

But besides the one woman, everyone had been able to get out on their own.

William McCullough, 77, a retired physician, was watching a cooking show, and his wife was doing a jigsaw puzzle in their second-floor unit when their alarm went off.

They noticed smoke in their hallway but were able to get to the underground garage to get their cars out and drive safely away from the building that they've lived in since it was new, in 1999.

McCullough hoped to be able to return home Friday night, but that hadn't yet been determined.

Nardello said residents on the first floor for sure wouldn't be able to return Friday night.

American Red Cross personnel were on scene to provide housing if necessary, but determined there was no need.

McCullough has relatives in town, and the other residents apparently had other options, as well.