BRIDGEPORT, Mich. – An early-morning fire at a two-story apartment building in Bridgeport Township forced nine residents from their homes, though no fatalities were reported.
Firefighters responded around 5:50 a.m. on March 4 to a blaze at a six-unit building on Bernice Drive. Initial reports indicated that some residents were jumping from windows to escape the flames as heavy smoke and fire spread through the structure.
When crews arrived, they found intense flames throughout both floors and coming through the roof. Fire departments from nearby communities provided mutual aid as firefighters worked to control the blaze.
All residents had exited the building before crews reached the scene. One woman who jumped from a second-story window while holding her child suffered injuries to her legs and feet and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Firefighters initially feared someone might still be inside and searched the debris, but later confirmed the missing resident was not at the building during the fire.
The fire destroyed the apartment building and most of its contents, leaving nine people displaced. The American Red Cross assisted the affected residents.
No firefighters were injured. Officials later demolished the structure because it was considered too unstable to remain standing. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The incident comes amid several recent structure fires in Bridgeport Township, including a late-February blaze that killed a 35-year-old woman and another fire sparked by a kitchen stove at a local care facility earlier this week.