Mich. Firefighter Burned in Industrial Building Blaze

March 7, 2013
One of the first firefighters to enter a burning Rochester Hills industrial building suffered non-life threatening burns to his legs.

March 07--Investigators are trying to determine what started a blaze that injured one firefighter and damaged an industrial complex in Rochester Hills this morning.

The fire started at about 5:20 a.m. at 1962 Star Batt Drive, just north of the Crooks Road exit off M-59, Rochester Hills Fire Chief Ron Crowell said.

"When I arrived, we had smoke coming from the entire building, from the roof," Crowell said. "We found fire in one of the six occupancies; all the other buildings have received smoke damage."

One of the first firefighters in the building suffered non-life threatening burns to his legs. He's being treated at a local hospital, Crowell said.

The fire began in a storage area for a flooring business nearby, according to the fire department. Workers are also trying to secure hazardous materials at the scene, Crowell said.

Fire officials will be at the 50,000-square-foot complex today to investigate.

Copyright 2013 - Detroit Free Press

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