INKSTER, Mich.
--
More than a dozen people were rescued Thursday morning when a fire swept through the Alpine Motel on Michigan Avenue in Inkster.
Inkster Fire Chief Mark Hubanks said the blaze broke out at about 6 a.m., and that spread room by room throughout the entire building. He said the building's double roof, one layered on top of the other, burned quickly.
Donald Locklear said his first instinct was to start pounding on doors to get people out.
"I went beating on everybody's doors, just beating to make damn sure they were getting out," he said.
Desmond Campbell said he was sound asleep when the fire started and probably would not have made it out if not for Locklear's warning.
"Even thought I lost all my stuff, I'm here," he said.
Hubanks said one firefighter suffered a knee injury.
"It appeared the patella, the knee cap, had popped," he said.
Crystal Mead said she think the fire started because someone firebombed it.
"All I know is that they ran. The person who started the fire just ran," she said.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Hubanks said he can't say yet whether the fire was arson.
The Salvation Army is helping displaced residents.
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