A fire at the Westwood Village Apartments began late Wednesday afternoon. Three hours later, firefighters were still battling flames and heavy smoke. Bill Bresler, hometownlife.com

Firefighters in Westland were battling a fast-moving fire Wednesday evening that forced the partial evacuation of an apartment complex and brought crews from five area fire departments to the scene.

The fire at the Westwood Village Apartments, south of Joy Road and west of Newburgh, started around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Westland Fire Chief Michael Stradtner said. Nearly four hours later, flames were still visible, the chief said; he expected firefighters to be working the scene for several more hours.

No injuries were reported. "Everybody's accounted for at this point," Stradtner said.
Residents displaced by the fire were being referred to the Red Cross for emergency assistance, he said.

The fire appears to have started in a second-floor corner apartment of the 24-unit building, the chief said, spreading quickly into an attic space and then moving around the building.

"Before our units had even gotten on scene, it got up into that attic space," Stradtner said. The fire was feeding on rubber roofing material, he said.

Firefighters were attacking the blaze from the ground and also using ladder trucks from above the building, sending streams of water into a hipped roof area from which flames at times shot up.

Residents of the apartment complex stood outside watching the effort and chatting, some embracing or putting their arms around each other. Thick smoke, ranging from dark brown to black, rose from the building, sometimes changing direction and clinging low, forcing onlookers to move away or cover their noses.

A neighboring apartment building just north of the fire was evacuated because of the heavy smoke, Stradtner said.

Resident Laurie Aren said she spoke with people in whose apartment the fire apparently started. She had heard smoke alarms and, while on her second-floor balcony, saw people from a nearby apartment on their own balcony.

"They said they had burned cornbread on the stove, but they had it taken care of," Aren said. She then got on the phone with her parents but, minutes later, "All of a sudden the flames just shot up," she said.

Aren evacuated with her cats, Simon and Mikey, but Mikey escaped her grasp. "He's very skittish. He ran back in," said Aren, who fears the worst for her cat.

Stradtner said several cats had reportedly not made it out of the building.

Aren said the apartment management company, Paragon Properties, is putting up displaced residents at a nearby motel. Those affected by the fire, she said, have been well cared-for by Paragon, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Stradtner said Westland fire investigators were already at the scene to work on determining the cause of the fire.

Audrianna Scandrett, who lives in a neighboring building, said she was studying in her apartment when she saw the smoke. She called 9-1-1 and left with her cat, Goofy.

More: Westland makes 'multimillion-dollar' settlement in death of inmate at police department

More: Malarkey's regulars welcome six-month extension in pub's move

"It could be us — and the pain and suffering that comes from everything being destroyed. I couldn't imagine," she said.

Wednesday's fire was the second major apartment fire in Westland in less than two weeks. A fire that started late April 28, at the Woodland Villa Apartments near Warren and Central City Parkway, killed an engaged couple, Lisa Back and Ben Kelley.

Stradtner said the fire Wednesday brought firefighters from Wayne, Garden City and Inkster as well as Westland, plus an ambulance crew from Livonia on standby.

Contact Matt Jachman at mjachman@hometownlife.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattjachman.

see more pictures here

https://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/westland/2018/05/09/local-fire-crews-battle-westland-apartment-blaze-no-injuries-reported/597052002/