Fire displaces 125 Kalamazoo tenants

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - About 125 people are temporarily without a home after a fire damaged their apartment complex late Sunday night.

24 Hour News 8 talked to one of the residents, Claude Hoffman, who said the alarms sounded around 10:30 p.m. at Northwind Apartments, 1004 Douglas Ave., in Kalamazoo.

He said residents smelled smoke and were alerted by the staff who "did a beautiful job" by knocking on tenants' doors and started a rescue effort. Hoffman said his apartment sustained some smoke damage.

Firefighters from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Comstock Township, Cooper Township, Kalamazoo Township and Oshtemo Township were dispatched to the scene of the three-alarm blaze.

Clarrisa Whitmore, another resident, told 24 Hour News 8 she was sleeping and heard "boom boom bang" on her door, as firefighters helped alert residents. She woke up and grabbed whatever personal items should could before escaping the fire.

"Thank God we all got out in time," she said.

Firefighters carried many of the residents down stairs to safety outside the seven-story structure.

The fire started in a third-floor residence and spread to the apartment above it, resulting in the floor to the fourth-floor residence collapsing, according to a news release from KDPS.

Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell told 24 Hour News 8 the fire was extinguished by 2 a.m. He said many of the residents are senior citizen and needed wheelchairs.

Seven residents were taken to hospitals after suffering minor smoke inhalation, fire officials told 24 Hour News 8.

Mayor Hopewell says the other residents were put on city buses at the scene to stay warm, Borgess Health offered up some blankets, and a nearby Marathon gas station gave them bottles of water.

The residents were then transported to a shelter at the nearby Christian Life Center Church where they were given cots, blankets, comfort kits and food, Keith Mortlock of the American Red Cross told 24 Hour News 8.

The Office of Emergency Management is also helping about 40 residents at the shelter. The other tenants sought shelter from family and friends.

If you want to help the residents, you can drop off donations (clothing, household goods, furniture, etc.) at the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference -- 1010 N. Westnedge Ave. You can call 269.344.7333 for more information.

The cause of the fire, which cause "significant smoke and water damage" is unknown. Anybody with more information about this incident is asked to call the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 269.337.8994 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100.