UPDATE: Vicksburg Village Apartment Fire Started On Third Floor Balcony

According to Plymouth Fire Chief Rich Kline, the Friday morning Vicksburg Village Apartment fire's origin was the exterior of a third floor balcony. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The fire call came in around 3:55 a.m. Friday, July 12, and when crews arrived it was a "well advanced fire," Kline said.

"It had been burning a while and was already reaching into the attic," Kline said. "It occurred in the middle of the building, which is problematic for fire control."

The advanced fire meant it had a head start on fire crews and involved all three floors of the building. 

"When it reaches the attic space there it's lumber yard and without a sprinkler system there's little we can do unless we can put 30 people on the scene in five minutes," Kline said. "There was fire coming through the roof. Our guys encountered heavy smoke conditions as they did searches through the structure." 

Guessing, Kline estimated about 14 different fire fighting apparatuses with mutual aid coming from several surrounding community fire crews. He said about 50 to 60 people escaped the building and around 20 units were somehow affected by the fire, either by fire, smoke or water damage or a combination of those.

Kline said he had not heard of any missing pets as of Friday around noon. There were no injuries of residents or crews. Crews escorted residents back to their units where they could for a few minutes after the scene was cleaned up around 7 a.m.

Some residents were temporarily displaced from their homes while a few will need to find some where else to live for about a month or two. The timeframe for allowing tenants back into the building is up to the Vicksburg Village management along with the city's community development department to ensure rebuilding is up to code for life safety. 

Though the building did not have a sprinkler system it was fully compliant with all standards and safety codes, Kline said.

"If it would've had sprinklers we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said.

The investigation continues into the exact cause, but Kline said the fire is not suspicious in nature. He is not sure of the exact cost of damage, but would guess it is more than a $1 million.

Crews closed Rockford Road at Vicksburg Lane for several hours with traffic diverted onto Old Rockford Road going around the complex.

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