Fire destroys GR factory

GRAND RAPIDS (WOOD) - When firefighters arrived at the Stalter Edge Tool Company around 2 a.m. Tuesday, flames were shooting through the roof. No one was in the building in the 300 block of Straight Avenue at the time.

Firefighters had to deal with not just a raging fire and very cold temperatures but low water pressure and an old structure that had many additions.

Straight Avenue was blocked at Wealthy Street for fire equipment, but the ice formed from the water could cause the roads to be closed even longer. Some streets became solid sheets of ice.

Investigators are looking for a cause. "We won't know what happened here until we get the fire out," said Grand Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Gerard Salatka, "and that's not until late (Tuesday) afternoon with how it's looking."

The fire was so intense that several houses nearby sustained smoke and water damage. Three families were displaced overnight as their homes were deemed temporarily unsafe.

Among the house evacuees was Sulma Cruz. "They came banging on the door," she told 24 Hour News 8, "really hard, you know?"

The American Red Cross of Greater Grand Rapids arrived within hours to help, and also had help from a neighboring business. Padnos opened its doors for the neighbors and firefighters struggling with bone-chilling temperatures.

24 Hour News 8 caught up with the Cruz family as they packed up their belongings. They have three children and say they are thankful to the American Red Cross of greater Grand Rapids for stepping in and providing them with much needed shelter.

"Oh they've been wonderful help to us. Really good. I appreciate what they're doing for us. Right now our basement is flooded. We have no gas in the house. It's really cold in there. We can't do nothing because it's too cold. So they came to help us out. So they put us up in a hotel for the night again. Hopefully we'll be able to get all this water out," said Sulma Cruz.

The two other displaced families are staying with relatives for the night.