Goodrich- Just before 9 a.m. Monday, residents of Goodrich House began returning to the charred remains of their apartments.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, Atlas Township firefighters responded to the complex at Clarence and Hegel roads, about a half block north of the fire station, following a 9-1-1 call.
Atlas Township Fire Department Capt. Jeff Slagle said when firefighters arrived, flames were rolling from the second story window on the south end of the century-old building. Fire departments from Brandon and Davison Township also responded to the fire.
Apartment resident Doug Lintz and his wife Amber Van Epps had lived in the second story apartment for about three years with their sons, Nathan, 4, and Bodie, 2.
‘My wife woke me up? and I could hear Nathan screaming in the other room,? said Lintz. ‘I tried to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher, but it was not enough. Then I went in to the boys? room where Bodie was in his bed and Nathan was by his side, screaming.?
Lintz, who saw flames coming from an outlet, picked up Bodie, while Nathan ran down the stairs and into the parking lot. Both boys received burns to their arms, face and legs. They were taken to the Atlas Fire Station and transported to Hurley Medical Center for treatment.
‘We made sure everyone was out,? said Slagle. ‘Fire in an old building like that moved fast.?
Slagle said that Davison Township Fire Department responded to the blaze with a 100-foot ladder truck, which provided firefighters a means to tear open sections of the steel roof without walking on it.
‘That ladder made a big difference,? said Slagle. ‘We had the fire under control a lot faster.?
Michigan State Police Fire Investigator Sergeant Specialist Lenny Jaskulka arrived on Monday morning to search the apartments for the cause of the fire.
‘The cause of the fire appears to be an electrical anomaly,? said Jaskulka on Wednesday, following the two-day investigation. ‘The building is more than 100-years-old, and while the fire moved fast through the balloon-style construction, double layers of drywall in some areas really helped slow the fire. Today, many apartments have sprinkler systems to suppress the fire. It would have helped in this building. However, there were active smoke detectors in the building and the exits appear to have been adequate.?
Jaskulka said the lower sections of the building received water and smoke damage, while the upper apartments were a total loss. The structure includes seven apartments, with six occupied when the fire started. Nine individuals in the building exited safely.
Mark Reaume had lived alone in the attic apartment for nine years, but was not at home when the fire started. ‘Everything I had was up there,? said Reaume. ‘I’ve been disabled for the past few years and spent a lot of time working on my music in my apartment. I’m just praying I can recover the hard drive and my music from up there.?
Margie Yarnold had lived in a downstairs apartment with her 8-year-old daughter Alexis for the past six months and was asleep when the fire started.
‘Someone pounded on my door and yelled at me to wake up,? said Yarnold. ‘I never heard a smoke detector or anything. I had time to grab a few things, then left.?
Alysia Gucwa had just moved in just five months ago and had fallen asleep on the couch when she heard a hard knock on the door.
‘I was not sure who would be pounding on my door at 4:30 in the morning, so I looked through the peephole and could see it was my neighbor,? said Gucwa. ‘I just moved here, too. I wanted to live in Goodrich? it’s where I grew up. I work out of town and now need a new place to stay.?
Jean Tilton, 80, was sleeping in an upstairs apartment when firefighters came up the stairs to get her out.
‘I had to leave when firefighters came up the stairs, but I was worried about my cats, Apache and Punch-kee,? said Tilton, a former Flint resident. ‘I kept yelling, ‘Oh my cats are inside!? I got out, and the firefighters went back inside and found those cats for me. Those men were magnificent. I figure my eggs in my refrigerator are fried now,? she laughed.
Chris Harris, apartment manager, said the Goodrich House had no sprinkler system and was not hardwired for smoke detectors. However, the complex did have battery smoke detectors, along with fire extinguishers required for occupancy.
Harris was not aware of the last time the facility was inspected, but did say it was up to fire code.
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