Cellphone Video Helps Pinpoint Cause Of Devastating Apartment Fire: Cigarette Butts
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) - A cellphone video captured by a local teen has helped investigators determine the cause of a fire that caused more than $1 million in damage to an eastern Michigan apartment building.
Investigators initially thought an electrical problem in the attic of the Wimbledon Apartment complex in Grandville caused the Oct. 19 blaze that destroyed 12 units and displaced at least 15 people.
Grandville Fire Marshal Lynnae White told WOOD-TV that fire officials couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of the fire and were about to declare it as undetermined.
But a video recorded from the window of a Grandville High School classroom helped investigators determine the fire was sparked by discarded cigarette butts on the balcony of a unit.
It's unclear whether the smokers responsible for the blaze will face charges.
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