Residents gather belongings after Three Oaks apartment fire

THREE OAKS, Mich. (WNDU) - UPDATE
People who escaped an apartment fire in Three Oaks are going back to save any belongings they can carry.

14 families had to evacuate as Hidden Harbor Villas caught fire early Saturday morning.

A Michigan State Police fire investigator says the fire started in a vacant apartment on the second floor near the utility closet but he says it's not suspicious and he doesn't believe it was arson.

That's not much comfort to the families, only two of whom had renters insurance.

Melissa Lawson, one of those affected, said, "We were running to just get out the door. She had some clothes in the diaper bag, but she was just in her diaper and we grabbed a blanket. Nobody had shoes, no one. "

Peter Trigg, another person affected, said, "Honestly, I'm not worried about what I can save. I thought everything was a loss, and everything I can find is just a blessing. It's absolutely a blessing."

Neighbors say they expect the building will be torn down.

They're receiving aid from the Red Cross and several businesses in Three Oaks.

EARLIER
Fifteen residents in one building of a Three Oaks apartment complex have been forced to leave their homes after a Saturday morning fire.

The fire broke out at around 5:40 a.m. at Hidden Harbor Villas off of U.S. 12. According to officials, it was extinguished at around 9 a.m. and no one was hurt. Everyone living in a 16-unit building was forced to evacuate.

Firefighters were called back to Three Oaks apartment complex later that evening after the fire rekindled, causing a small amount of smoke.

Fire crews were called back to the scene later that night around 9:05 p.m. and left the scene around 9:30 p.m.

NewsCenter16 caught up with a man who helped get people out safely Saturday morning. He just got off of work and happened to be in the right place at the right time.

"I was covering one of the guys's shift," said Peter Trigg, a resident at the apartment complex. "Thank God I was covering his shift, I'm truly blessed that I was, the timing couldn't have been any better."

Trigg was on his way home from work at SMS Scrap Metals. He noticed something wasn't right.

"I smelled smoke, I smelled burning plastic and I immediately wanted to investigate what it was," Trigg said. "I heard a crumbling sound like a popping sound almost, so I walked out to the back side and I saw that the deck was basically on fire."

Trigg said all he could think of was his family and that he needed to get them out.

"I passed the fire alarm as I was about to run up the stairs [to get them], so I felt like that was the best plan for everyone else's safety as well so I yanked it," Trigg said.

Once he got his family out he went to get more people.

"[I] started pounding on everyone's door, once everyone that I could tell was out I grabbed the fire extinguisher and I broke thaat out right away and tried deterring some of the fire in the back, but obviously it didn't do too much."

Trigg said it was only about two minutes from when he smelled the smoke and the entire building was engulfed.

"I really feel like I wasn't a hero at all," he said. "The fire department that came here and helped out, they're the real heroes. They're absolutely, they saved a lot of people's lives, they saved a lot of property, everything really."

Local businesses are pitching in to help the victims of the fire. Three Oaks Laundromat right down the street is collecting household items that they can give back to the families in need.

"They're part of us," said Kelly Wright, Manager of Three Oaks Laundromat. "A lot of people come, they use our laundromat as a service or they've rented movies from us. They're all kid of like an extended family. As they find a place to live, they're going to need to refill it."

The laundromat is accepting donations of anything from clothes, to furniture to children's toys. They ask that you don't donate money or food, rather, give those items to the food pantry in town.

Neighbors also told NewsCenter16 that the dollar store is collecting cash that they will donate to the families. Also, Exit 4 Storage is donating furniture.

Charred memories, busted out windows and boarded up doors remain. Trigg and his family are just thankful to be alive.

"Truthfully, I'm happy," Trigg said squeezing his one year old daughter in his arms. "I'm happy my family's okay, I'm happy I got them out, happy I came back at the right time, happy that no one was hurt. Everything else is just stuff. It can easily be replaced, it can easily be brought back."

Trigg and his family only moved in three weeks ago.

Trigg was not the only hero Saturday morning. NewsCenter16 also spoke with Roman Pickens who also got home around the same time and helped to rescue families, including an elderly woman on oxygen. Pickens had only lived in his apartment for six days.

The American Red Cross is working to help those affected. They provide immediate emergency aid to families, which consists of food, water and shelter. They also work with other agencies in the area to help families get back on their feet.

They said it's been about a month since they responded to a fire, but they're always ready when they're needed.

"It's nice for the county that we have not had a lot of fires, it's bad for our volunteers who really want to be doing something and are twiddling their thumbs, but yeah it's been a while since we've responded to a fire and especially one of this size," said Betsy Vanderburg, a Disaster Action Team Leader with the Southwest Michigan American Red Cross.

The Red Cross usually assists with single family home fires, but are prepared for anything. If you can't donate your time, they are always accepting donations and checks with a memo for 'disaster' go directly to the disaster relief fund.

Although a cause for the fire isn't known, it's believed the fire started in a utility room on the second floor.

The Three Oaks Fire Chief says the fire doesn't appear to be suspicious, but the state fire marshal's office has been called in and will complete a report on Monday.