KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo Public Safety spent most of the afternoon Saturday battling a wind whipped blaze at a home in the 700 block of South Burdick that was called in just before 2pm.
Crews were hampered by the fact that the home had been cut up into a number of apartments, making it difficult to get at the flames that burned into the attic, and by the wind which just fanned the flames.
Lt. Gretchen Mayo says they used an exterior attack with a ladder truck until it was safe to go inside the home and attack it from the interior.
It took them four hours to get at all the flames and put them out.
The only resident at home at the time of the fire was able to rescue his pets and escape without injury.
The Red Cross was called to help the displaced find temporary shelter.
