No one was injured in a fire caused by a faulty electric wall heater in the bathroom of an apartment at Lakeshore Apartments in Ypsilanti Township earlier today, township fire Capt. Brad Johnson said.
A call came in at 10:31 a.m. that a first-floor apartment unit at 2500 Lakeshore Boulevard was on fire. Fire Marshal Phil Stachlewitz was first on the scene and saw smoke coming from the sixth floor of the apartment building, officials said.
"Because it is mid-rise building and had the potential for evacuation issues, we called in mutual aid from around the area," Johnson said.
Pittsfield Township responded with a tower truck, Superior and Van Buren townships brought ladder trucks, and Ypsilanti provided additional manpower.
While flames were contained to the bathroom, smoke escaped into the hallways and entered the building's ventilation system, exiting through the sixth floor roof.
Outside the bathroom, the apartment sustained heavy heat and smoke damage and is uninhabitable, Johnson said. The resident of the apartment wasn't home at the time, and the American Red Cross has been contacted to provide assistance.
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