KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo police officer rescued an unresponsive man from a fire that extensively damaged a home Sunday morning.
At 7:29 a.m. Sunday, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers responded to a report of smoke coming from an apartment of a multi-residential structure located in the 1500 block of Portage Road. Officer Amir Khillah was the first one to arrive on scene and noted heavy smoke conditions from the apartment.
Fearing for the occupants’ safety, Khillah forced the door open and began searching the apartment. A 34-year-old resident was located unresponsive on a couch. Khillah carried the man outside and turned him over to other responding officers.
An interior attack was conducted and officers were able to extinguish the fire within 10 minutes.
The majority of the damage was limited to the kitchen area of the apartment. Due to damage to the electrical system of the residence, the house had to be condemned until repairs can be made.
Arrangements have been made to relocate the occupants of the four apartments.
The 34-year-old man and Khillah were examined by Life EMS and released on scene. No other occupants of the residence were injured.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The apartment was not equipped with smoke detectors. However, an adjoining apartment was. The resident of the adjoining apartment called 9-1-1, allowing officers to rescue her neighbor and extinguish the fire before it could spread.
Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is being asked to call Kalamazoo Public Safety at (269) 337-8994 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100 or at http://www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com on the Web.
