Farmington Hills fire displaces dozen families from charred apartments
Farmington Hills families displaced after massive apartment fire
Eighteen families are now without a place to live after a fire destroyed the interior of an apartment building. The City of Farmington Hills says the fire alarms went off, but tenants say they didn’t hear anything.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - All they could do was watch as fire destroyed everything.
It unfolded over the weekend, and now FOX 2 has learned more about the apartment fire in Farmington Hills, where crews battled for hours.
Why you should care:
Eighteen families are now without a place to live after a fire destroyed the interior of an apartment building. The City of Farmington Hills says the fire alarms went off, but tenants say they didn’t hear anything.
What they're saying:
Brian Badger spoke with FOX 2, his voice still hoarse from the smoke. He was babysitting his 3-year-old granddaughter Georgia at his daughter’s Farmington Hills apartment on Saturday night.
He says the family dog was acting odd around 10 p.m., then Brian smelled smoke, grabbed his granddaughter, and ran out.
"I was knocking on the doors, opening the doors that were unlocked, and clearing them, making sure nobody was in on the way out," he said.
Eight units were totally destroyed, and ten more were damaged at the Botsford Place Terrace Apartments. Everyone spilled out into the parking lot, watching firefighters battle the blaze for four hours.
"I literally, I think I ran the fastest 800 meters of my life to get to my kid because my stomach just dropped. I didn’t know what was going on," said tenant Seara Wilson.
Wilson’s stepdad and daughter were okay, but their dog and cats were stuck inside. A police officer rushed back in to save them.
What you can do:
One cat is still missing. The cause appears accidental but is still under investigation. According to a Facebook post by the City of Farmington Hills, the smoke alarms within the building activated properly, but some tenants say they didn’t hear them.
"I rebuilt myself in that house, so it’s hard. It was my start-over spot, and now I lost everything again, and I have to start over again," she said.
Seara and her little girl need clothes and the basics until insurance comes through for them. If you want to help, you can email her at searawilson@gmail.com.