GRANDVILLE, Mich. – Fire investigators have determined the cause of the fire that destroyed an apartment building last month, and it isn’t what it was originally thought.
The October 19 fire destroyed a building at Wimbledon Apartments. No one was hurt and several pets were rescued. The fire was originally have thought to have started in the attic of the building, but during the three week investigation, officials couldn’t find anything in the attic that supported that theory.
But then a video surfaced from a student at Grandville High School, which is next door to the complex. A Grandville firefighter’s daughter goes to the school and saw a video shot by a classmate of the fire. Several students and onlookers shot video of the fire, but this video was in the very early stages of the incident.
After seeing the video, fire investigators determined that the fire started on an upstairs deck. After interviewing witnesses and residents, investigators have determined that a resident improperly was disposing of cigarettes in a plastic container with potting soil in it. There were approximately 30-50 cigarettes in the container on the day of the fire and the day was very windy.
Watch the raw video from the student below:
