Fire at Apartment Building in Rockwood

ROCKWOOD, Mich. - Fire roars through an apartment building in Rockwood. Now, nobody is returning home, and the Red Cross is helping dozens of displaced tenants.

The fire chief says these people likely won't be able to go back into their homes for a couple of days. That's not the answer they wanted, but reality and a harsh one at that.

Instinct took over in an instant. Fire does that to a person, and it was no different on Wednesday.

"My brother, he started kicking down doors, and we were trying to get everybody out," Shane North said. "Just trying to warn everybody."

North lived in one of 18 apartments at Woodside Village in Rockwood that suffered some sort of fire, water or smoke damage. He lost everything. Tyler Orman came very close.

"Just rescued our cat from inside. The fireman went in and got her," said Orman. "Out of everything we lost, this is one thing I couldn't bear to lose."

It's a blaze some say crews took too long to get to and too long to put out.

"These type fires are tough when it gets up in that roof. It just travels all over," said Rockwood Fire Chief Dan Mercure. "We tried to stop it, but couldn't."

Now, dozens have to figure out what's left and what to do next.

"If you don't have renter's insurance, get it because something like this could happen," said Orman. "I let it lapse three days ago and look at where I'm at, standing outside a burning building."

The fire chief believes the fire likely started in a second or third floor balcony, but further investigation will take place to prove if that is the case. Right now, he says it does not appear that this is anything more than just a horrible accident.

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Anyone affected by the fire can call the American Red Cross at 800-774-6066.