Georgetown Twp. (WZZM) - Dozens of elderly residents were forced from their homes after a fire broke out in a living center in Georgetown Township.
Ottawa County deputies say it began in the kitchen of the Allen Springs Living Center around midnight.
As soon as crews arrived on the scene, they immediately started evacuating the 100 elderly tenants in the building.
"Evacuation process went smoothly. It was done manually, room to room, we cleared the tenants one by one," said Sgt. Bob Ruster with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.
All of the residents made it out safely and staff brought chairs for them to sit in while they made sleeping arrangements.
Deputies say it will be a while before the building is deemed safe for tenants to move back in because of the smoke and water damage.
Many of the residents were taken to a neighboring living center for the night.