A Busy Holiday Weekend For The Battle Creek Fire Department

The Battle Creek Fire Department was busy during the long holiday weekend responding to three separate residential blazes during intense heat.

The hot and long holiday weekend saw the Battle Creek fire Department very busy. The first of three fires occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4 at 63 Merritt Street. First crews on the scene arrived to find smoke coming from the first and second floors of the duplex style apartment. The flames and heat were so intense the exterior of the neighbor's house to the south was also catching fire. Fire crews immediately began trying to extinguish the blaze while firefighters searched for the apartments for occupants. The apartment on the first floor was found to be unoccupied while residents and the second apartment and a family pet were rescued and brought to safety. There were no injuries. The fire caused an estimated $55,000 in damage to the property. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

While still on the scene of the fire at 63 Merritt Street, at 12:42 a.m. Sunday crews were called to a structure fire at 132 Lafayette Street for another residential fire. Arriving crews found fire coming from the first floor of the single-family home. Crews observed significant damage to the exterior of the home as well as to a car parked outside. Firefighters immediately began efforts to extinguish the blaze from the interior of the home. All occupants had safely exited the home before the fire crew's arrival. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but discarded fireworks are listed as the probable cause. There were no reported injuries. The majority of damage occurred to the first floor. There was $45,000 in damages to the property. Bedford Township Fire Department assisted with fire attack operations.

At 5:46 a.m. Monday, July 6, the Battle Creek Fire Department was called to 743 Oakbrook Boulevard after a neighbor spotted fire coming from a neighboring townhouse/apartment building. First crews on the scene spotted fire coming from the attic area of the structure. Firefighters were able to determine the unit in question was vacant immediate action was taken to extinguish the blaze. Other fire crews began assisting by evacuating individuals in adjoining units. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is believed to have been electrical.

In each instance, firefighters were praised for minimizing the extent of damage through quick action during the intense heat.