The scene at the rear of the building as seen from the yard of a Washington Street residence.

A brief, smoky fire in the basement led to the evacuation of a 10-unit apartment building on Mechanic Street in Red Bank this afternoon.

Firefighters remove their gear shortly after answering the alarm.

As of about 2:40, there was no sign of an active fire, though volunteer firefighters on the scene, at 74 Mechanic, were seeking access to second-floor apartments.

There’s no official word on the cause of the incident, which was reported at about 2:20m by a resident. But preliminary indications were that a furnace or water heater was involved.