The Southeastern Michigan Chapter was on the scene at an apartment fire last night, after a blaze ripped through eighteen units of Woodside Village Apartments in Rockwood. Ten of the units were destroyed, and many residents lost everything.

Our first priority was making sure they had shelter. Emergency Services Specialist Jima Braynon was there, along with Volunteer Disaster Action Team Oakland 12, led by Bob York. The Southeastern Michigan Chapter set up a service center in a church, just steps just away from the complex, while apartment management provided shelter for 60 percent of residents.

We provided help to four people in two units. Because of the devastation, not everyone was ready to speak with the Red Cross after the fire, yet Braynon expects to hear from more residents in the next couple of days.

Public Affairs Volunteer Gary Krupczak talked to several media outlets that were on the scene. For more on the story, see Fox 2’s report: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/fire-at-apartment-building-in-rockwood-100317.

This morning, in a hotel fire on Detroit’s east side, one man was killed and another was left in serious condition after a fire swept through the hotel/boarding house. The Southeastern Michigan Chapter responded, but most of the residents were at the hospital or had dispersed to other places.

Specialist Braynon spoke with the hotel owner - getting the names of residents and also providing Red Cross contact information for them. We expect to service several of the residents who were living there.