This morning at 6:16 am Holland firefighters and police officers were dispatched to a fire in a residence in the 600 block of Crescent Drive. Upon arrival at 6:22 am units reported a working fire in the attic of a 2-story single family residence. Firefighters made immediate entry to extinguish the fire and conduct a search of the home to confirm that all occupants were accounted for. The fire in the attic space was knocked down approximately 15 minutes after arrival. Crews remained on scene for roughly 2 hours searching for hidden pockets of fire.
There were no injuries to occupants or responding firefighters. The home sustained significant damage to the second floor. Damage and loss estimates are not available. The department’s Fire Marshal is investigating to identify the origin and cause of the fire which is currently undetermined. An overloaded circuit providing power to an electric space heater has not been ruled out as a potential cause.
The Holland Fire Department asks all people to make sure they have working smoke alarms. Additionally, when using electric space heaters, do not use extension cords to power them and make sure that the circuit powering them is adequate for the electrical load.
This incident was upgraded to a “2nd” alarm. This activated mutual aid from Graafschap, Hamilton & Park Twp. fire departments. These departments provided on-scene assistance as well as station coverage and responses to two additional emergencies that occurred during the fire. American Medical Response (AMR) provided a medical standby and Macatawa Area Express (MAX) provided a vehicle for firefighters during the extreme and challenging weather conditions that were present.