House fire breaks out across from school in St. Clair Shores; no injuries reported

St. Clair Shores house fire sends school into lockdown

A house in a St. Clair Shores neighborhood caught fire Monday afternoon, where everyone made it out safely, but the timing of the fire prompted some fast action at a nearby school to ensure everyone stayed safe.

St. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (FOX 2) - Firefighters have put out a house fire in St. Clair Shores Monday - but what complicated things was a congested neighborhood with a school across the street.

Another challenge was the fire happened around 3 p.m. - right about when the elementary school lets out, causing logistical problems. Thankfully, there were no injuries.

The owner of the house has lived there 50 years and told FOX 2 he went to pick up his granddaughter who was at another school. By the time he came back, he said the house was engulfed in flames.

The fire centered around the back end of the of the house including the main level, a bedroom and up into the attic.

Firefighters arrived with mutual aid, a ladder truck putting water on the roof, cutting holes in the roof to try and make sure that there are no hot spots. They were able to pull out a cat, we're told, which was safely removed from the house.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Meanwhile, at the school, they acted quickly.

"We have little ones here," said Principal Melissa Saleh. "We got the kindergarten, first and second grade here. So they definitely get nervous about certain things. So we want to keep them calm. But we quickly had to switch dismissal and buses, and where kids were leaving the building.

"So thank goodness that we have lots of things like apps that we can communicate with our families. And we quickly did that."

The fire marshal is still at the scene, the house next door suffered damage to its siding.