Warren

Pets perish in apartment fire

By Brian Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

WARREN — There were no injuries or loss of human life, but Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt “Skip” McAdams said a bird and a dog were overcome by smoke and died in an apartment fire near Ryan and Toepfer Jan. 7.

Firefighters were dispatched to the multi-family dwelling on Toepfer west of Ryan at about 10 a.m. after residents of the building reportedly smelled smoke.

McAdams said fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from one of the apartments. The resident of the unit was not home at the time.

“We arrived to a smoke-filled apartment. (There was) a small fire in the hallway near a storage closet. We found two pets: a dog, and a parrot of some sort. They both were overcome with smoke.”

McAdams said the bird, a cockatiel, was in a cage and was deceased at the scene. Paramedics reportedly attempted to revive the dog but were unsuccessful.

A senior citizen resides in the unit but McAdams said she reportedly left earlier that morning.

The cause of the fire remained undetermined Jan. 9 but McAdams said it did not appear to be in any way suspicious.

The building houses multiple rental units and it was unclear how many people were in the adjacent apartments when the fire broke out. There were no injuries reported among residents or responding firefighters.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brian Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1089.