LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – “I had to call off the job today. I have stuff here that I have to move and it just turns your life upside down,” Stone Ridge Meadows resident, Fred Ari said.
He woke up shortly after midnight to police officers knocking on his door. They told him he needed to get out immediately.
There was a fire.
Firefighters got the call about a heavy fire on the second floor of the building right next door to Ari’s.
“I’ve been here about five, six years,” Ari said.
This fire changed Ari’s life in a matter of minutes, leaving him with a big mess to clean up.
“It was not fire damage but there’s a lot of water damage because I’m in a lower level. Right now, I’m just salvaging the stuff and letting them drain the water,” Ari said.
Lansing Fire said it took crews five hours to control the fire. About 24 units were impacted.
The Red Cross was called in and has been working to help people get back on their feet.
“Our volunteer got up and she heard about the size of the fire and so she called up a couple other people and they went down there and started talking to the families and working through what their needs were. They do this all the time, so they know. They’re there to be helpful to people and to help them figure out the next steps,” Judi Harris with the American Red Cross said.
LFD told 6 News no one was injured, and they managed to save a dog. Officials are still investigating what caused the fire.
Ari said despite it all, he is grateful.
“The fire people definitely helped us out and followed us in there to get our stuff. As far as the first responders goes, they were great.”
