PENNFIELD TOWNSHIP (WKZO-AM) — One man is dead and four dozen others are homeless after a raging fire at the Pines of Pennfield destroyed half the 24 apartments in one structure and left the rest of the units unlivable.
Many of the occupants lost everything they owned. Some had to jump from third-story balconies when hallways and stairs filled with choking smoke. Walter Bell, 66, was critically injured when he fell from his third story apartment trying to escape. He died later at the hospital.
Amber Day had to drop her one-year-old boy into the arms of a maintenance worker at the complex, and she leapt onto a mattress rescued by other tenants from the trash to escape her 3rd floor unit. Both are fine.
Some escaped using a ladder that belonged to a crew that was doing roofing and siding work on the building at the time. Five others had to be rescued.
At least 40 firefighters from five different departments battled the flames. The Red Cross has come to the aid of many of the displaced tenants and empty apartments in the rest of the complex have also been made available.
They believe the fire may have started in an apartment on the second floor that belonged to a family on vacation. Fire marshals will investigate.
The damage could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
