Firefighters Battle Flames at Multiplex Home in Grand Rapids
On a busy Monday afternoon in Grand Rapids, some assorted firefighters were dispatched to battle a fire that was consuming a multiplex residential complex. The fire burned from Shangrai-La Drive to Dawes Avenue on Kalamazoo Avenue at 28th Street – a high-density residential neighborhood.
Witnesses and passersby notified of the situation reported the mood as dramatic with dozens of fire trucks taking over crowded streets. Firemen acted quickly into action, rapidly deploying hoses and ladders in attempts to reach upper sections of the building. The sky was filled with massive amounts of thick gray smoke billowing upwards as firefighters focused efforts on putting out the roof where fire seemed most extensive.
As the water cascaded over the roof of the house and walls, people strolled over to stand close by and gaze on eagerly, others capturing the scene on their mobile phone. There was the pungent smell of smoke as firemen struggled to cover the smell and stop the fire spreading on to the remainder of the property.
No one is hurt yet, and no one has an idea where it started. The Grand Rapids Fire Department will know how it was caused when they have extinguished it completely.
Accidents of this kind remind us of the promptness of response and the courage that our rescue teams exhibit when under peril. Since they responded so promptly, what could have been a disastrous crash might have been averted from being a total loss.
