Fire Sends Six To Hospital In Royal Oak Township

ROYAL OAK TOWNSHIP, MI — An accidental fire at a Royal Oak Township apartment complex sent six people to the hospital and displaced dozens more from their homes early Wednesday morning.

Ferndale Fire Marshal Brian Batten said an investigation revealed that an apartment resident dropped a cigarette lighter on a couch touching the fire off, the Detroit News reported. Batten said the man tried to put the fire out but was unsuccessful.

The fire started at about 12:30 a.m. at the complex, which is located Wyoming Avenue near Eight Mile Road. The six residents taken to area hospitals were being treated for smoke inhalation, the Detroit News reported.

"It's quite a mess right now," Batten told the newspaper. "Fortunately, no one was injured. The six who were taken to the hospital were taken there for precautionary reasons."

Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, but were on scene for several hours trying to find places for the displaced residents to go, Batten said. He said the apartment building’s first and second floors sustained extensive damage from water used to extinguish the fire, he told the Detroit News.

The city of Ferndale provides firefighting services to Royal Oak Township. News of the fire drew sympathy on Facebook:

Photo courtesy city of Ferndale