WALKER, Mich. — A day after a fire tore through Green Ridge Apartments in Walker, a resident of the building is just thankful she and her boyfriend are okay.
McKenzie McPhall was at work when the fire started, but her boyfriend was home with their cats.
"I got a text message around 2:45 with a video of my porch being filled with smoke," says McPhall. "I'm like, 'why are you still in the apartment? Get out!'"
They did manage to get out safely, but haven't been able to get back inside to see how it looks.
"I'm expecting everything in the living room to be damaged by either water or a little bit of smoke," she says.
Despite the expected damage, she's not too worried about her furniture.
"My dresser has already been through one house fire, I'm thinking it can make it through another one," laughs McPhall.
There are a few things, however, she and her boyfriend hope survived, like his guitar.
"He also has a U.S. Marine knife that was given to him by a grandparent," says McPhall. "And we're hoping that that's still in there."
Both her parents and her boyfriend's parents live in Walker, and she's glad to have a place to go.
"I'm super thankful of our parents, they live right around the corner," she says. "And they're opening up their arms to us to come back whenever we need to and helping us out financially right now."
Through the shock of it all, she remains hopeful.
"Lives can't be replaced," says McPhall. "So that's the only thing that matters, that we're all out and safe."
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