Fire Destroys Park Manor Apartments

At least seven people are displaced after a major fire that started at Park Manor Apartments on Plymouth Road early this morning.

There were no fatalities, but one person suffered minor injuries. The fire started around 2 a.m. Plymouth Fire Chief Mark Wendel said one woman was taken to a local hospital because of burns on her feet.

Wendel said the cause of the fire at the 24-unit building is under investigation, though it is believed to have been caused by an electric blanket.

The is paying for rooms for five residents at the in Plymouth Township. According to Laurie Aren, director of Family and Community Ministries for the Plymouth Salvation Army, another resident was picked up by her family early this morning.

Wendel said Plymouth firefighters arrived on the scene of the fire around 2:30 a.m. and received mutual aid from Canton, Livonia and Northville Township fire departments.

By 8:30 a.m., the fire was contained, but firefighters were expecting to be on the scene for several more hours.

"There are some hot spots here and there," Wendel said, and firefighters continued to spray down the smoky building with hoses. "This is the part where we are going to have to enter the building and make sure everything is completely put out."

Wendel said the fire started in the second unit of the one-story building, which is located between Lilley and Haggerty Roads, and spread quickly south throughout the rest of the structure.

He said the cold conditions made fighting the fire even more difficult as water quickly turned to ice.

"These have to be some of the worst conditions to fight a fire in," Wendel said.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures hovered between -4 degrees and 4 degrees throughout the night and into the morning, with windchill between -10 and -15 degrees.