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Plymouth residents left displaced after massive apartment fire
A large fire destroyed a section of apartments in Plymouth Thursday leaving residents with no place to go.
FOX 2 - A fire ripped through an apartment complex in Plymouth Thursday afternoon, leaving one firefighter with minor injuries and some residents heartbroken after losing everything they owned.
The backstory:
Everyone was evacuated, but a firefighter did receive a minor injury while on the roof at the Hines Park Apartments.
Crews are actively battling hot spots and trying to prevent any kind of smoldering — with eight units there likely a total loss, according to the Plymouth Fire chief.
He said the call came in just before noon, and the windy conditions made it a tough blaze to knock down.
During the fire, SkyFox flew over the roof where you could see the flames.
It has been an emotional day for the people who lived here — the ones who called this building home had to rush and grab their closest possessions.
Many of them had to rescue their pets — the people in the neighboring buildings — also still out there due to the smoke damage.
"I was asleep and I just heard somebody banging on the door, ‘(Yelling) fire, fire,’" said resident Alontavia Hughey. "It was smoky. It wasn’t real bad. I’m like ‘Okay it’s something little. Once we came out, it changed instantly.’"
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The chief says an electrical issue is a possibility.
"The maintenance people here all opened all the doors. I was concerned about my downstairs neighbor Penny," said resident Theresa Valchine. "The police were able to assist and carry her out which was a blessing."
"You have to imagine your whole life is in one spot, and if that’s all destroyed you have to start from ground zero," said resident Jandyn Hassenrik.
"I’m really in disbelief. We lost everything," said Hughey. "I’m glad we’re safe. The things in there … we can get them back. But I’m hurt. We work hard for our things, you know?"
There was a vacant apartment being renovated that could have been the source — but they will not know until that investigation wraps up.
The Source: Information for this story came from fire officials and residents at the apartment complex.