Firefighters contain structure fires at strip mall, detached garage

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The St. Clair Shores Fire Department found themselves extinguishing back-to-back blazes this month.

A commercial fire occurred at a five-unit strip mall in the 23000 block of Harper Avenue near Nine Mile Road around 12:10 p.m. Sept. 10. There was also an apartment above one unit that was occupied at the time of the fire. First-responders from the St. Clair Shores Fire Department arrived to find heavy smoke conditions from the center unit.

The Eastpointe Fire Department also responded to the scene, as did a requested ladder truck from the Roseville Fire Department, which supplemented the St. Clair Shores Fire Department’s own ladder truck. Crews initially attempted to approach from the back of the structure but were impeded by hazardous conditions created by the fire encroaching on power lines.

“The rapidly developing fire conditions and the electrical involvement required crews to work from the exterior of the building,” said St. Clair Shores Fire Chief James Piper, in an email interview. “Multiple hand lines and large-size fire attack lines were deployed, at both the front and rear, while crews checked for extension to the other units.”

Piper said that the crews managed to keep the fire contained to the original unit, so that only smoke damage was incurred at the neighboring units. The two ladder trucks doused the fire with water from above as the flames burned through the roof.

The St. Clair Shores Department of Public Works was asked to assist with a backhoe to remove pieces of the center unit, allowing crews access to fully extinguish the fire.

“Much of the roof had collapsed due to the initial fire load, so fire units were unable to reach everywhere to achieve full extinguishment, until the backhoe removed much of the debris,” Piper said. “That particular occupancy was a total loss, but all of the other units in the building should be back in business very soon.”

In the early moments of the fire, bystanders reported hearing a loud boom, suspected to be from a possible gas leak. There were no injuries to civilians or first responders during the incident.

A few days earlier, around 3:10 p.m. Sept. 7 in the 22000 block of 10 Mile Road, the fire station received word of a detached garage fire. Crews arrived to find a large garage behind the residence engulfed in fire and smoke. Eastpointe firefighters also responded to the incident. Together, the crews pulled hose lines to multiple sides of the building to bring the fire under control.

“No injuries were reported, but there were two classic cars in the garage at the time of the fire that were heavily damaged,” Piper said.

He noted that first responders reached the commercial fire within two minutes and reached the garage fire within four minutes. Both incidents appear to have been accidental in nature.

“Investigations are always open for new information,” Piper said. “But at this time, we are certain the garage fire was accidental, and we believe the commercial fire was as well.”

Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss contributed to this report.