By Catherine Kavanaugh, Daily Tribune Staff Writer

HAZEL PARK — About 30 residents of American House had to be evacuated Friday when an apartment caught fire after a resident tried to repair frayed clothing with a lighter.

No one was injured, but the man living in the third-floor unit was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Fire Chief Ray DeWalt said the fire appears to be accidental.

“A man who is about 65 was doing a home repair with a flame and it got out of control,” DeWalt said.

The man was in his bedroom using a lighter to repair an article of clothing with frayed threads and the bedspread caught fire, the chief said.

Firefighters were called to the senior complex on Woodward Heights Road about 7:30 a.m. Smoke was visible from the road as they raced to the sprawling complex where about 140 people live. The burning apartment was in the back of the three-story building.

Firefighter Michael Owczarek said flames were shooting 15 feet out a bay window.

With automatic aid from the Ferndale Fire Department, some firefighters pulled hoses into the building to extinguish the blaze while others helped the staff evacuate residents from the rear wing.

Gladys Allen, 88, was getting dressed for breakfast when she smelled smoke.

“I opened my door and saw thick white smoke. I heard the alarm going off,” Allen said. “I shut my door quickly and opened the porch door.” Continued…

Allen, who uses a walker, waited inside her apartment as seniors have been advised in cases of a fire. Aides go to them and help them to safety.

In the smoky hallway, Allen said she loaned her walker, which has a seat, to a neighbor who isn’t as mobile. The elevator nearest to them was shut down because of the fire.

“One lady couldn’t walk. She used my walker and I held on to the stair rail,” Allen said.

Firefighters and staff helped the elderly residents, some with canes, walkers and electric wheelchairs, down stairs or to elevators in another wing of the building.

Most of the seniors have independent-living apartments at the American House complex, but there are also six condos.

The staff learned about the fire as soon as the apartment smoke detector activated. It simultaneously set off a light on a panel of addresses in the main office. The employees on duty called 911 and began evacuating residents.

As the fire spread in the apartment, a corridor sprinkler system also turned on.

“Furniture burned and the apartment is a total loss,” DeWalt said.

The chief said the fire was contained to the one apartment. About 10 units near it sustained smoke damage and the units below it got a lot of water damage.

Firefighter Owczarek said the fire only took 15-30 minutes to extinguish. However, it was so hot it melted some of the vinyl siding on the outside of the building. Before they left the scene, firefighters tore off siding so it wouldn’t fall and cause another safety hazard. Continued…

By Catherine Kavanaugh, Daily Tribune Staff Writer

HAZEL PARK — About 30 residents of American House had to be evacuated Friday when an apartment caught fire after a resident tried to repair frayed clothing with a lighter.

No one was injured, but the man living in the third-floor unit was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Fire Chief Ray DeWalt said the fire appears to be accidental.

“A man who is about 65 was doing a home repair with a flame and it got out of control,” DeWalt said.

The man was in his bedroom using a lighter to repair an article of clothing with frayed threads and the bedspread caught fire, the chief said.

Firefighters were called to the senior complex on Woodward Heights Road about 7:30 a.m. Smoke was visible from the road as they raced to the sprawling complex where about 140 people live. The burning apartment was in the back of the three-story building.

Firefighter Michael Owczarek said flames were shooting 15 feet out a bay window.

With automatic aid from the Ferndale Fire Department, some firefighters pulled hoses into the building to extinguish the blaze while others helped the staff evacuate residents from the rear wing.

Gladys Allen, 88, was getting dressed for breakfast when she smelled smoke.

“I opened my door and saw thick white smoke. I heard the alarm going off,” Allen said. “I shut my door quickly and opened the porch door.”

Allen, who uses a walker, waited inside her apartment as seniors have been advised in cases of a fire. Aides go to them and help them to safety.

In the smoky hallway, Allen said she loaned her walker, which has a seat, to a neighbor who isn’t as mobile. The elevator nearest to them was shut down because of the fire.

“One lady couldn’t walk. She used my walker and I held on to the stair rail,” Allen said.

Firefighters and staff helped the elderly residents, some with canes, walkers and electric wheelchairs, down stairs or to elevators in another wing of the building.

Most of the seniors have independent-living apartments at the American House complex, but there are also six condos.

The staff learned about the fire as soon as the apartment smoke detector activated. It simultaneously set off a light on a panel of addresses in the main office. The employees on duty called 911 and began evacuating residents.

As the fire spread in the apartment, a corridor sprinkler system also turned on.

“Furniture burned and the apartment is a total loss,” DeWalt said.

The chief said the fire was contained to the one apartment. About 10 units near it sustained smoke damage and the units below it got a lot of water damage.

Firefighter Owczarek said the fire only took 15-30 minutes to extinguish. However, it was so hot it melted some of the vinyl siding on the outside of the building. Before they left the scene, firefighters tore off siding so it wouldn’t fall and cause another safety hazard.

The fire chief complimented the staff for their handling of the emergency.

“We train for these situations,” Rob Gillette, chief operating officer of American House, said Friday. “Unfortunately, we had to test it today. Our system worked. Our training worked.”

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