Families displaced after fire tears through Detroit apartment

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A fire ripped through a Detroit apartment Monday morning, sending families into the streets to escape the blaze.

Now, the city is helping residents find temporary housing who are now managing the fallout from not being able to return to their home.

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Around 5 a.m. Monday morning, a fire broke out at the Eastland Court Apartments.

While some tenants were skeptical at the time, it didn't take long to recognize the problem burning in the building.

Marquize Thomas is used to the smell of barbecue, which is why he didn't immediately leave. But after a few more minutes, he knew a fire was in the apartment.

"I woke my daughter up and put her shoes, put her jacket on, and was ready to rush out," said Thomas.

The flames engulfed the building, video showed. 

It's not the first time that officials have been warned about the fire, which has been the center of other problems. Some locals say squatters had been staying at the apartment, which led to the fire.

"Stay warm - they was trying to stay warm," said Kevin Evans, who lives in the area. "That’s how the fire started."

Dig deeper:

The city is still investigating the fire, but says the building has not been shut down. A few of the rooms had been boarded up prior to the fire starting due to the units being vacant.

But that's not the only problem that's been observed.

"The last time we were out there was the earlier part of March where we issued several correction orders to the property owner," said Arthur Rushin, an enforcement officer with BSEED.

As they search for answers, the city is also providing resources to families displaced by the fire.

"All of the impacted residents are going to receiving case management support from the housing revitalization department where we work to relocate residents into safe and permanent housing," said Chelsea Neblett, the chief of housing solutions & supportive services at HRD.