Fire Forces Evacuation At Westland Senior Living Complex
WESTLAND (WWJ) - More than two dozen senior citizens have been evacuated from an independent living center in Westland after an early morning fire.
The fire broke out around 2 a.m. Thursday at the Village of Westland Senior Living Complex on Cherry Hill Road near Merriman Road.
Some residents were able to get out on their own, but others were helped by police and fire crews.
"It could have been a lot worse than it is," Assistant Fire Chief Kelly Eggers told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "The fire damage started in one apartment. Initially we thought it was three, but it only affected one apartment and the hallway."
One resident suffered a back injury, while a police officer was being checked out for smoke inhalation.
Eggers said concerned family members should check on their loved ones, but there's no need to panic.
"Fortunately, management was able to temporarily relocate them here in other units in the facility and they're going to make more accommodations for them at a sister facility in Redford sometime tomorrow," he said.
Investigators are still trying to determine a cause of the fire.