KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A 79-year-old woman died while another person was rescued from separate fires Sunday in Kalamazoo, say officials.
The first was reported just before 5 p.m.— a apartment building on E Walnut St between Sheldon and Fisher Sts was barricaded and set on fire by a man inside. Crews rescued the man but it took until nearly 7:45 p.m. for the fire to be brought under control.
Just before 5:30, a second fire on Norton Dr, just off of Homecrest Ave turned out to have started after a mechanical issue with the furnace caught fire. Crews had that fire out before 6 p.m.
As the first fire was being brought under control, a 3rd, fatal fire was reported. Just before 7:30 p.m., callers say they could see smoke from the second-story of a multi-family home near the corner of S Burdick St Ridgewood St.
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) sergeant helped one person escape a second-floor window, however, the body of a 79-year-old woman was found while crews tried to put the flames out.
Reports from KDPS show it was a cooking-related fire. KDPS reminds everyone to remind those using the stove or other cooking implements of the importance of safety and never leaving food unattended, adding on that routine heating equipment maintenance can go a long way to help prevent fires.
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