A fire at Capitol Villa Apartments late Saturday night, which trapped four residents and left one apartment completely uninhabitable, temporarily has displaced all of the building’s residents.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and remains under investigation by the East Lansing Fire Prevention Bureau.
The fire resulted in a total loss of apartment 48, 1708 E. Grand River Ave., and smoke damage throughout the rest of the building, East Lansing fire Deputy Chief Patrick Nakfoor said.
Four people trapped on the third floor of the building were rescued by local firefighters and no one was injured, Nakfoor said.
According to a press release from East Lansing fire Deputy Chief Steve Alvarado, the incident was called in at 11:15 p.m., and the fire was deemed under control at 11:49 p.m.
According to the release, the three-story building was evacuated by residents who alerted each other to the fire. The Meridian Township and Lansing fire departments assisted in putting out the fire.
Nakfoor said the event was handled promptly and properly by the responding fire departments and the apartment management company, DTN Management Co.
DTN officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.
“The (Central Lower Michigan) Red Cross was called, and they arrived shortly after (they were called), and DTN was working with the residents,” he said. “Most of (the residents) should be able to return their apartments soon, besides those in the apartment where the fire occurred.”
One resident of apartment 48 refused to comment on the record and another was unable to be reached for comment.
Food industry management junior Rachel Plotner and her roommate were two of the four people stranded on the third floor.
Plotner said she and her roommate were doing homework when they disregarded the initial fire alarm, assuming another resident had burned food.
But when an alarm on her floor went off she checked the peephole in her door and saw the entire hall had filled with smoke.
“I just went into survival mode immediately,” Plotner said. “My roommate was definitely more scared. I was shaking, I was scared, but I didn’t want to scare her more, so I stayed strong for her.”
About 15 minutes after the initial alarm went off, firefighters were able to rescue Plotner and her roommate from their balcony.
No-preference sophomore Alex Stieve, who lives on the same floor as apartment 48, was in his room at the time of the fire and was notified by another resident.
Stieve said within five minutes the entire apartment was full of smoke and they had to evacuate.
“First I was surprised that it happened so fast and took the floor over so quickly,” he said. “The second thing on my mind was to grab something that I needed, so I grabbed my computer.”
Plotner said because the smoke damage to her apartment is small compared to others closer to apartment 48, she and her roommate could be back as soon as a few days or as long as a few weeks.
Plotner said DTN began cleaning her carpet and repainting her walls immediately.
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“(DTN) has been really nice and understanding and has answered all our questions,” she said. “They said we should be back in our room in a couple days, but if we aren’t then they will provide us a place to stay.”
