HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — An early morning fire appears to have gutted a building in the Stratford Way apartment complex, at 1028 Abbey Court. Firefghters arrived to find a second story deck in flames and residents who’d rushed out of the building half-clothed and in several cases, shoeless.
Holland Fire Lt. Brendt Sheridan said no one was injured. Frefighters were also able to find six cats, all of which were okay, and a child’s pet fish, which was also fine.
“Our first priority is people,” he said. “Our second priority is saving property and pets.”
The building’s eight units all had tenants, according to the members of the property management team. Somewhere between 15 and 20 people were inside when the fire broke out. (Visit WHTC’s photo gallery.)
Resident Macie Vande Vusse, 23, woke up just before 2 a.m. in her second-floor apartment with what she called “a funny feeling in my stomach.”
She looked out the window of her apartment and saw flames a few doors down. She and her boyfriend gathered their 10-month-old daughter and and got out, waking neighbors as they left and calling 911 for help.
The fire’s cause couldn’t be immediately determined, Sheridan said. It’s being investigated by the Holland Department of Public Safety’s fire marshal, according to a statement emailed to media.
Bill Sikkel, co-owner of the Holland Township-based Waveland Property Management, was on the scene to coordinate securing the building after firefighters cleared out.
Kim and Steve Raak arrived at the scene as part of their jobs, too. She is Waveland’s apartment rental manager; he’s the company’s licensed building and maintenance manager.
“The first this I said was ‘Is everybody out? Is everybody OK?’” Kim Raak said, as a firefighter walked her husband through the building so he could assess damages.
Sikkel and Kim Raak said many of the Abbey Court residents had lived in that building for so long, they’d formed a community, often dining together for a Saturday breakfast or a weeknight dinner.
“The Red Cross is doing a great job” helping the immediate needs of the displaced residents, Sikkel said. They said rent for one- and two-bedroom units like the one in the burned building currently average $750 a month. Sikkel said he and his company employees would do their best to keep residents at Stratford Way until their building is repaired and, if they don’t have enough available units, work with other property managers in the area to help find new homes.
Sheridan said firefighters were assisted on the scene by Holland police, with firefighers from Holland and Park townships providing mutual aid on the scene as well as covering the city’s fire stations during the incident.
Others supporting the fire response: Red Cross and Holland Victim Services, assisting displaced residents; Holland BPW crew, to manage electrical service; SEMCO to manage gas line connections; and the American Medical Response ambulance team.
