An East Lansing home caught fire early Thursday morning, shooting smoke and flames into the air and leaving four MSU seniors without a home.
The blaze began at around 3 a.m. in the basement of the two-story house at 142 Milford St. and was quelled by the East Lansing Fire Department an hour and a half later.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but fire officials estimated more than $100,000 in damages.
The home's tenants, communication senior Matt Trandall, merchandising management senior Art Elm and advertising seniors Jeff Nowaske and Phil Redmond met with their landlord, insurance agents and fire investigators Thursday afternoon on their front lawn, trying to piece together the night's events and salvage what they could of their belongings.
Inside the charred building, furniture lay in rubble, televisions were melted on their stands and clothing was infused with the stench of burning. The four roommates moved into the house just one month ago.
"I heard the smoke alarm and I thought it was just someone using the George Foreman (grill)," Nowaske said. "When I went downstairs, I could see black smoke coming up from the basement."
In a matter of minutes, the house was filled with smoke, Nowaske said. By the time he, Redmond, Trandall and a friend staying at the house were out of the building, flames were shooting out of the basement windows, he said. Elm was not at the house when the fire erupted.
"The working smoke detectors were able to wake the people up and allow them enough time to get out of the house," said Fire Marshall Bob Pratt, adding that fire officials around the country find that about one in three smoke detectors is defective.
The four roommates met with the American Red Cross on Thursday afternoon to discuss possible aid the students could receive. None of the tenants have renter's insurance, but they are hoping to file under their parents' homeowners insurance, Nowaske said.
"These houses are gone over quite thoroughly every year in inspections," said MaryAnn Pierce, who supervises the Rental Housing Clinic, 541 E. Grand River Ave. "Furnace, water heater, gas and electric lines - these things are all checked."
Terra Management Company owns the house, which was inspected by the city before the students moved in, said company owner Evert Kramer, adding this was the first major fire he'd ever had at a property.
Another building owned by Kramer, at 315 W. Grand River Ave., is being renovated after a burst water pipe damaged the mixed-use facility last month. The disaster, which may cost up to $500,000 in repairs, displaced tenants in six of 14 apartments in the building.
Kramer said he offered temporary housing at Woodland Lakes Luxury Apartments in Holt for tenants of both tragedies.
Late Thursday afternoon, Nowaske emerged from the scorched opening where the front door once stood, carrying a pile of warped, tinted pictures. In one frame, completely blackened by soot, his grandmother's face could barely be seen shining through.
"It really hasn't hit us yet," he said. "We're all kind of shocked.
"We're all just lucky that no one was hurt."
Don Jordan can be reached at jordand3@msu.edu
Staff writer Sarah McEvilly contributed to this report.
