Fire rips through Westwood Village Apartments in Westland

WESTLAND, Mich. – Some Westland residents are left without a home after a fire consumed their apartment building Wednesday night. 

Black smoke filled the neighborhood near Joy and Newburgh roads as a fire raged at the Westwood Village Apartments. The fire started in one of the buildings at the complex and spread. 

Once it spread into the attic the flames grew, starting and stopping multiple times due to hotspots. It took firefighters more than five hours to finally put out the flames. They worked well into the night and early Thursday morning. 

At least 24 families lost their homes. Some said they are just happy no one they knew lost their lives in the fire. No one was injured. 

The apartment complex requires that all tenants have renter's insurance.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.