BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Battle Creek Fire Department has confirmed that there were no injuries in a series of structure fires over the weekend.
It began on the night of July 4 just before 11:30 p.m. when the department was called to 63 Merritt Street, where fire was observed on the first and second floors of a duplex-style apartment. Officials say that the exterior of a neighbor’s house to the south was also catching fire.
One truck extended an attack line to extinguish both fires.
The duplex was not occupied at the time of the fire, and the occupants of the second apartment were able to escape. Fire crews were able to rescue a pet inside.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation.
Fire crews were then called to another fire at 132 Lafayette Street, which was a single family residential structure with a first floor fire.
This fire was reported at 12:42 p.m. on July 5.
The exterior of the house and a car parked outside received significant fire damage. All occupants of the residence had already exited the building.
After extinguishing the fire, officials determined that the probable cause was due to discarded fireworks in a garbage can outside the home.
The third fire was reported Monday morning just before 6 a.m. for a townhouse at 743 Oakbrook Boulevard. The call was made by a neighbor who saw fire coming from the structure.
Fire officials found that the fire was coming from the attic, and extended a line hose to extinguish it. The unit was vacant at the time and the cause of this fire was determined to be electrical-related.
The structure only sustained minimal damage in this case.
