Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — Residents leapt from windows as flames engulfed a three-story apartment complex Wednesday morning on the 21000 block of Jason near Schoolcraft and Outer Drive on Detroit’s west side.
Firefighters rescued about 25 people, and four people were taken from the scene by ambulance. A school bus was brought to the scene to give residents a makeshift shelter.
“A lot of people were half-naked,” said Doug Woodcock, who works at a nearby building supplier. “We gave them shoes.”
At the fire’s peak, the flames were so massive that embers blew into the freeway.
Detroit Fire Commissioner Jonathan Jackson said the fire started shortly after 6 a.m. on the north side of the Jason Manor Apartments. Police had been called to that side earlier last night to deal with a disturbance at a party, he said.
Jackson said the building is a total loss. There were 42 units, 39 of which were occupied.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.
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