Smoke Seen For Miles As Office Building Burns
Offices at Havard Plaza in Southfield were evacuated after a fire broke out in the building. Southfield Road was closed at 12 Mile as a result, with traffic backups reported in both directions.
Driving in the area Wednesday afternoon, WWJ's Roberta Jasina said the black smoke could be seen for miles.
"You should see the smoke and the flames coming out of this building. It's really a spectacular, yet scary sight
here on Southfield Road," she said.
Witnesses report seeing the smoke from as far away as Grosse Pointe.
Fire crews from Royal Oak and Birmingham assisted Southfield firefighters in battling the blaze. Southfield Fire Chief Peter Healy says they don't know the cause of the fire that started in the attic of the building.
WWJ's Stephanie Davis reports that the 1-level, 10,000 square-foot building, which housed at least two dozen different businesses, appeared to be completely destroyed.
Alyson Bealer works in the building next door.
"We thought we were gonna have to go home... we were worried that it was going to jump buildings, because it was just so intense. The heat was so intense," she said.
No one was hurt.
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