Torch used to singe squirrel may have sparked fire

Authorities say a person using a propane torch in preparing to eat a squirrel may have sparked an apartment complex fire that displaced dozens of people in southwestern Michigan.

Fire Chief Jim Kohsel tells MLive.com the resident was apparently using the torch to remove the animal's fur on a third-floor deck of the apartment complex in Ottawa County's Holland Township on Wednesday. Flames spread to the roof, and Kohsel says eight apartments were destroyed and others damaged.

The person's name wasn't immediately released.

Kohsel says a firefighter who responded had a broken toe. No residents were injured.

Tiffany Camburn, who lived in the building, told The Holland Sentinel that apartment complex workers and police went door-to-door, evacuating residents.

The American Red Cross arranged for temporary shelter and clothing for displaced residents.