KENTWOOD, Mich. — All residents from a senior living community in Kentwood are accounted for and safe after a large fire erupted Thursday afternoon.
It happened around 2:30 p.m. at American House Kentwood, which is near the intersection of Eastern and 60th Street SE.
Kentwood Deputy Fire Chief Mike Hipp said there were 12 residents who had to be evacuated from the facility as large flames could be seen pouring from the attic area.
Hipp said they were transferred to another facility.
"A lot of fire here in the attic when we got here," Hipp said. "It's been a very challenging fire. A lot of work. A lot of in and out."
The deputy chief said he expects to have crews there overnight.
"There's a lot of overhaul that needs to be done. If you were to look at it from a thermal imaging camera, there are probably 10 fires still inside this building. They're smaller, but they're still going, and we're having a difficult time accessing them, as well as the safety of putting my crews inside of going to get them."
Multiple fire departments helped out, including Grand Rapids, Grandville, and Byron Center.
The senior living community offers assisted living, memory care and hospice care for seniors.
Fire crews used ladder trucks to tamp down the flames, and DTE Energy is on the scene to help out.
Linda Girous, who lives just down the street, said she first heard the sirens. And then came the orange flames and black smoke.
"We saw them spraying water, and then all of a sudden, flames were coming out of the eaves, and the eaves and the railings were just bending over and melting. It was really sad, you know, to think of those people in their homes, and we're just hoping they could get out," Girous said. "Thank God we got all the fire people here, the gas people here, the electric. We're not seeing a steady stream of ambulances, so that's a good sign that the people are all okay."
American House Kentwood shared a statement with 13 ON YOUR SIDE about the fire:
"On August 15, a fire broke out in the attic at American House Kentwood while a third-party HVAC company was conducting maintenance work. Thanks to the swift response of our staff, the 12 residents living in the Memory Care facility were safely evacuated and no one was injured. Several community members have reached out to offer assistance. We are in the process of acquiring alternative accommodations for the affected residents at nearby American House locations.
American House Regional Vice President of Operations, Rhonda Heiber, is working closely with the community executive director to notify families. In the meantime, American House Chief Operations Officer, Alex Germain-Robin along with maintenance directors from other Western Michigan communities are arriving to provide assistance.
We are also providing support to our dedicated team members, and we are grateful to them for acting quickly and with our residents’ safety as their primary concern.
American House is deeply saddened by the loss of the homes of our residents and will continue to make their comfort and safety our top priority."