LAPEER (WWJ) — Two firefighters are recovering after being rescued from a MAYDAY situation while battling a storage facility fire over the weekend.
Lapeer Fire and Rescue crews were called to a “significant fire” at a facility on Imlay City Road around 6 a.m. Saturday. When the first crew members showed up within five minutes of the call, they found smoke pouring from the roof.
Forced entry was required to get into the building, which was owned by Midstate Well Drilling, and was being used as a storage facility for MKX/Berry Green Management, fire officials said.
Utility response teams from DTE and Consumers Energy promptly disconnected electricity and natural gas, allowing crews to fight the fire.
While the fire was in the attic and ceiling deck void space, suppression efforts were “complicated by challenging conditions due to a sheet metal ceiling and multiple layers of roofing material,” officials said
As the situation escalated, multiple alarms were transmitted, bringing in additional resources.
As crews were battling the blaze, the roof and ceiling collapsed, resulting in a MAYDAY — an urgent distress call used to communicate that a firefighter is in imminent danger or requires immediate assistance.
“It is a critical signal indicating a life-threatening situation, prompting swift and coordinated actions to ensure the safety and rescue of the individual in distress,” officials said of the MAYDAY call.
An interior team, including a chief-level officer and two firefighters, were quickly able to extricated two trapped firefighters following the collapse. One firefighter sustained a shoulder injury, but is expected to recover. No other injuries were reported in the incident.
The operation then transitioned to exterior efforts, employing elevated master streams and heavy equipment.
Imlay City Road was temporarily closed during the incident, reopening more than five and a half hours after crews first responded.
While fire and rescue crews worked the scene, community partners, Walmart, and McDonald’s on Imlay City Road, stepped in to provide refreshments, snacks, sandwiches, and coffee to support the emergency responders, officials said.
Multiple fire and rescue departments, public safety agencies, and community partners helped at the scene.
An official cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials did not disclose the extent of the damage or losses to the building.
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