In the evening of Friday, Oct. 20, a fire broke out in apartment 301 of the Kataluma Apartments, located on College Ave. The fire was caused when an air fryer left on top of a hot oven ignited, causing a large portion of the apartment kitchen to burn. Water damage from the sprinkler system caused hundreds of gallons of water to cascade through local sections of the building, causing extensive property damage in the surrounding apartment units.
The scene was attended to by the Houghton Fire Department, Houghton City Police, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Tech Public Safety, all of which ensured that the building’s occupants were safe and accounted for. Houghton City Police gave the statement: “There was an apartment fire, everybody got out, no injuries, students relocated.”
Apartment units 201 through 205, and 301 through 306 were deemed temporarily uninhabitable due to the damage. The affected tenants were offered temporary housing by Michigan Tech through Public Safety. Most of the affected residents were permitted to return the day after the fire took place, though the apartments with more extensive damage are still under construction.
Remediation work began as soon as the building was cleared. Considerable effort was put into the removal of water from the ground floor recreation room as well as some of the hallways, which were soaked by the fire suppression system. At the time of publication, restoration work continues.
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Nicely written!