Oct. 5--SOUTHGATE -- A top-floor fire at a senior housing center in Southgate Saturday afternoon has left dozens of residents displaced, at least for a time. Aubrey Thorpe, 72, a resident at Seaway Towers for 12 years, didn't even have time to get her house shoes on by the time fire alarms were sounded in the 2 p.m. hour. She just had to get to ground from the third floor as quickly as possible.
Two hours after the fire, Thorpe still hadn't opened her yellow blanket, the same yellow blanket other evacuees had draped across their shoulders as they watched and waited for word about when and if they'd be able to return inside. Firefighters from Wyandotte and Downriver Mutual Aid helped fight the blaze, which appeared to be extinguished by the 4 p.m. hour. A Southgate Fire Department official pulled aside a manager of the complex and advised that residents on the building's 5th and 6th floors would likely need to replace their prescribed medication because what was left inside likely had too much exposure to heat and smoke. Volunteers from the American Red Cross arrived at the scene soon after the blaze was reported, taking names and contact details, handing out bottled water and assessing needs of evacuees. The Southgate Fire Department did not immediately offer information on the fire, including whether any injuries were reported. ___ (c)2019 The Detroit News Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
