CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Dozens of people are without homes after a fire ripped through a Canton Township apartment building Friday.
One building at Crossings at Canton, just off of I-275, was destroyed.
Residents yelled to alert others about the fire. One person was treated for smoke inhalation, but everyone made it out of the 16-unit building safely.
"[You] could feel the heat just bursting in your face," Robert Cruse said.
The fire started in an apartment next to Cruse's. His neighbors ran to his apartment asking for help.
"They came banging on the door, saying, 'There's a fire. Can you come help?' So I come outside and they gave me a small fire extinguisher," he said.
Once fire crews knew everyone was out of the building, they chose to fight the fire only from the outside. The building, which is from the 1970s, did not have the firewalls that are required in newer structures.
"These are older units. Once the fire extends up in the attic, there are limited fire stops and the fire has full range once up there," said Joshua Meier, Canton Township public safety director.
Burning incense ignited the blaze, officials said.
"We still got ourselves, our families. That's all we got. That's what we've got to hang on to," Cruse said.