MANISTEE -- Firefighters believe a child playing with matches started a fire in Manistee that sent two to the hospital.
Crews were called to the home at 1005 Center St. around 2:40pm Saturday.
The first firefighter on scene discovered the second floor completely filled with dense smoke from ceiling to floor. The fire started in a bedroom on the second floor.
Fire crews ventilated the second floor and attacked the fire which was centered on and under a queen sized bed in the room. The fire had also spread to a nearby closet. They were able to quickly bring the fire under control and contain the fire damage to the contents of that bedroom.
The rest of the second floor suffered smoke damage.
Two of the people in the home were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. When the fire broke out these two individuals entered the smoke filled second floor to look for a 3 year old child thought to be upstairs. The child was located downstairs and suffered no effects from the fire or smoke.
Five adults and four children lived in the rental home. The Red Cross is helping the family find temporary housing.
City of Manistee department of Public Works Director Jack Garber also responded to the scene to assist with water supply, icing issues and traffic as needed.
Fire crews say this is an example of the benefits of the automatic mutual aid agreement between City Fire and Filer Fire Departments. This is the third response by Filer into the City in the last month.
