WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. -- Metro Detroiters are banding together to help hundreds of displaced seniors after a fire at the Hechtman Federation Apartments in West Bloomfield Wednesday morning consumed their homes.

Employees at the Auto Accident Claim Center told Local 4 they watched the drama unfold on TV and decided they needed to help -- by buying the seniors items they desperately needed. They filled their carts with basic items such as toiletries and clothing.

Hechtman Federation Apartments Donation Information

Firefighters from West Bloomfield and surrounding communities battled the blaze at the assisted-living center for the elderly while they rescued hundreds of trapped residents from windows and balconies on the upper floor of the 102-unit complex.

Two people were taken to the hospital as a precaution because of breathing problems, but no serious injuries were reported.

The West Bloomfield Fire Department said the blaze started in the boiler room Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. at Hechtman 2 in the Lillian & Samuel Hechtman Federation Apartments, at 6690 W. Maple Road.

Thick black smoke filled every floor as firefighters went door to door, crawling on hands and knees and moving residents outside to balconies.

There, they were brought down to safety on ladders.

"I told her, 'Just trust me, just lay across my arms,'" said West Bloomfield firefighter Ryan Wetter. "I won't drop you, just to relax and hold on to me."

A five-year veteran, Wetter said he has never seen a fire like this one.

One of the people he rescued was 100 years old, he said.

"She was saying 'Ow' with every rung we went down," he said. "It hurts a little bit, but it hurts a lot less than falling."

David McNealy, a West Bloomfield police officer, was impressed.

"It's my first experience seeing the firefighters work at this level and I was amazed and very impressed," McNealy said. "To say it was heroic was an understatement."

Wetter said he was a little uncomfortable with the "hero" moniker.

"I could never have done any of this without all the guys that helped me," he said. "It's a complete team effort."

One of the biggest problems the West Bloomfield Fire Department faced in this blaze was the whipping winds, which forced them to use chain saws and other equipment.

They estimate the damage in excess of $2 million.

There are two Hechtman apartment buildings on the Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield. Ninety-eight seniors who lived in the Hechtman 2 building, where the fire was located, will have to have to find a new place to live for the next six months, if the building is salvageable.

Building 2 has 103 subsidized one-bedroom apartments and is open to those who require a barrier-free apartment or one that is handicap accessible. The rent is subsidized through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The 100 seniors that lived in Hechtman 1 may be able to return in a few days. Hechtman 1 offers 89 one-bedroom market-rate apartments, two studio market-rate apartments and seven market-rate apartments with subsidies available.

Residency in both buildings is available only for those 62 years of age or older.

Hechtman Federation Apartments Donation Information.