Emergency crews had to scramble Thursday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids after fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Weston Apartments. At first, smoke could be seen pouring out a window, quickly followed by water from the fire hoses. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and investigators say the fire was contained to just one apartment.
“Our primary concern, right now, is to get 89 families that call this building home into their homes,” said Grand Rapids Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. “Many of them, in the process of leaving, left all their belongings behind — including cell phones. We have a mother that needs diapers.”
Fire officials say no one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There isn’t much room in downtown Grand Rapids to grow out, so the only option is up. Those taller buildings and provide more difficult challenges for fire fighters.
“All of our companies are trained in high rise operations which includes working off stairs I mean they had to hike up five floors before they even began work today,” says Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer.
This afternoon, their training allowed them to hold this fire at Weston Apartments to just one unit. Crews learn how to climb stairs quickly and efficiently to get hose and water to the burning apartments, they learn to blow water from inside out to avoid spreading flames on the inside and deeper into the building. Out of the 96 units, only one had fire damage only two water damaged.
“We worked off of what is called a stand pipe. There’s a fire protection system in the building our crews hook to that then make their way onto the floor,” says Sehlmeyer.
Like any high rise, these buildings come with sprinkler systems, which help.The concrete construction of older buildings, like the Weston, help contain the damage. But time is still the enemy when these apartments are so stacked together. There’s no wiggle room to stop it from spreading.
“The faster we can get the water picked up the less damage to the units below so that’s the priority right now,” says Sehlmeyer.
An early-evening fire sent elderly and disabled residents of Borden Place West, 181 S. Main St., out of their apartments. The fire started around 5:30 p.m. in the trash compactor, according to Fall River District Fire Chief Douglas Sullivan. The exact cause was being investigated, but Sullivan said it appeared accidental. The sprinkler went on in the trash compactor and extinguished the fire.
“The system worked the way that it should have,” Sullivan said. “The fire was contained.”
Wendy Carvalho, who acts as the fire warden on the sixth floor where she resides, said someone may have dropped an ashtray or cigarette into the trash chute “I knocked on everyone’s door,” Carvalho said. “They all came out.”
Most of the 100-plus residents in the building are elderly or disabled, with many using walkers and in wheelchairs. Heavy smoke hung in the hallways even after the fire was extinguished, and many residents sat outside waiting to get back into their apartments. Other residents were inside the community room on the street level, and out of harm’s way.
Resident Joseph Blanchard, who has lived in the building for 25 years, said it wasn’t the first fire at Borden West, but it was the worst. “There was really a lot of smoke,” Blanchard said.
Sullivan said Borden West owner Peabody Properties called in professional cleaners to remove the excess water from the apartments that were flooded on the first floor. All residents were allowed back inside within a couple of hours.
No residents were injured. One firefighter fell and injured his shoulder but was able to continue working. Responding to the fire were four engines, two ladder trucks, Rescue No. 1, Special Services, and Fall River police.
Officials with the Rochester Fire Department are crediting a “sprinkler save” with extinguishing a fire inside an unoccupied apartment Thursday evening. Firefighters were sent at 5:54 p.m. to 2804 Second St. SW in response to a sprinkler alarm — sent by facilities when the sprinklers have been activated.
When they arrived, the apartment was full of smoke, said Deputy Chief Vance Swisher, but the flames had already been extinguished, thanks to the sprinklers. A preliminary investigation indicates a lamp that had been left on fell onto some combustible materials in a children’s bedroom, he said. The ensuing fire activated two sprinkler heads, putting out the fire before it could spread.
“It could have been a significantly larger fire,” Swisher said, “and certainly done more damage to the building.” The residents of that apartment were unable to stay there because of the water damage, he said, and the apartment below it may have sustained some damage, too.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
