Ann Arbor residents escape house fire after passerby alerts them
The house at 3325 Packard Street has windows and doors boarded up and tarps on the roof following a house fire early Monday morning.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor residents escaped a house fire after a passerby knocked on their door to alert them early Monday morning, firefighters said
The passerby spotted the fire at the home in the 3300 block of Packard Street about 1:30 a.m., called 911 and knocked on the door, which resulted in the residents getting out safely, firefighters said in a press release.
When Ann Arbor firefighters arrived at the home near the intersection of Packard and Platt Road, smoke was coming from the second floor. The fire spread to the attic, roof and part of the first floor before they could get it under control.
Firefighters found one cat alive inside the house. A second cat was missing Monday morning.
Smoke detectors in the home were not believed to be working. Firefighters credited the passerby with taking critical life-saving action.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in 30 to 40 minutes, but a crew was still at the scene early Monday. The cause of the fire, believed to be accidental, had not been determined. The fire marshal was investigating.
Damage was estimated at $75,000.
Editor's note: The location of this fire has been corrected. The initial location provided in a press release was incorrect.
Comments
Razor
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 5:09 p.m.
Station 4....closest station to this fire is slated to be closed by the fire chief. The next closest truck will be coming from Packard and Stadium......farther out, and likely more fire to fight!
zip the cat
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 11:28 p.m.
What planet have you been living on Razor Packard/stadium fire station has been CLOSED for 10 yrs
Michigan Reader
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 10:18 p.m.
Neighborhoods.
Michigan Reader
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 10:16 p.m.
Who's got a crystal ball to predict which neighorhoods will have a deadly fire? Bring it to the next city council meeting please!
Peregrine
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 9:12 p.m.
GoogleMaps claims Station #2 is 2.5 miles away and would take those of us at the speed limit 6 minutes to make it to the house. If the fire truck could average 37.5 mph, it would reach there in 4 minutes. Looking at the map on p. 9 of Chief Hubbard's presentation, (PDF link: http://tinyurl.com/78r2x2c) it looks like it would take more than 4 minutes but less than 4 minutes 30 seconds to reach that house. Station #4 is close to the house, only 0.9 miles away.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 3:09 p.m.
For my nitpick moment of the day(?)... its not the 3000 block its the 3300 block.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 2:24 p.m.
Yikes. Fires are really are devastating. I am glad that someone woke the people up and that no one was hurt. I hope they find their missing cat.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 1:58 p.m.
"Smoke detectors in the home were not believed to be working...." ouch. This is no blast at the fire department but nobody should depend on them to get you out of a house. We all need working smoke alarms and a plan to get everyone out.
Forever27
Mon, Apr 23, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.
the person who alerted the residents is a hero, and should be recognized as such. The residents owe their lives to this person.