WYOMING, Mich. - There have been two fires at Timber Ridge Apartments happening only a day apart, sending one firefighter to the hospital and leaving several units uninhabitable.
The first happened just after 12 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1. A fire started on the deck of one of the units. Authorities have not yet indicated the cause of that fire.
Then on Sept. 2, at about 5:30 a.m., residents felt their building shake then they saw smoke.
A lightning bolt struck the roof of one of the apartment buildings and the attic area caught on fire.
Luzia Tartari lives on the first floor of the building, and said she could hear loud thunder, but one crack was louder than the rest.
"Suddenly I hear this knock on my door, frantic knock on the door, all this noise, people calling and knocking on doors," Tartari said.
At first, she thought it was kids playing, but soon realized it was more serious.
"They said there was smoke on the third floor in the apartments coming from the attic and to leave," Tartari said. "There were a lot of flames that started coming out, so it was pretty scary. I thought it was going to burn everything down."
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety Fire Division got there at 6:49 a.m., a few minutes after receiving a call about smoke. Residents at that point had evacuated with their pets.
According to Chris Velzen, the Wyoming fire lieutenant, one firefighter had to be transported to the hospital because of a fall from the attic onto the third floor. That firefighter is now back home with minor injuries. No other people were hurt in the incident.
Two units have heavy structural damage after the strike, causing around $100,000 worth in damage and leaving seven people without a home for the time being, according to Velzen. The Red Cross assisted the people who live in those apartments. The other residents were able to return to the other 10 units in the building.
Velzen said the department was in the middle of a shift change, so they were able to send 14 people to the scene instead of their typical staff half of that size.
He also said the department worked closely with neighboring jurisdictions on scene, including fire departments from Grandville, Byron, Kentwood and Georgetown.
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