Fire tears through 11 apartments Saturday in Berrien Springs, no injuries reported

Aug. 26--BERRIEN SPRINGS -- Cleanup is underway at the Park Manor Apartments.

A major fire tore through 11 apartments Saturday night, leaving dozens homeless, WSBT-TV reported.

The community is coming together to help people who were displaced.

The fire destroyed the second floor and did some damage on the first floor as well. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters from several departments fought the blaze. The two-story structure was badly damaged.

Residents returned to the scene Sunday to salvage some of their belongings from the debris.

The nearby Neighbor to Neighbor thrift shop opened its doors to give victims items they need.

"It's shocking when everything is good, and 20 minutes later, you got nothing," said Ivan Mercedes, who lived at the complex.

Ivan Mercedes -- along with his wife and infant son -- stopped by to pick up some items to get them through the next few days.

"It's overwhelming, but I'm thankful to you and I praise God that my wife got time to grab my kid and get out of there," Mercedes said . "That's enough for me."

The apartment complex manager told WSBT the fire was started by a resident cooking and that nobody in that building had renters' insurance.

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