Fire damages home on Ann Arbor's southeast side

by Amalie Nash | The Ann Arbor News

Thursday April 23, 2009, 1:12 PM

A fire gutted the basement of a home on Ann Arbor's southeast side just after noon today, officials said.

Lon Horwedel | The Ann Arbor NewsA firefighter works near the doorway of a home on Manchester Road.

A passerby in the 2200 block of Manchester Road called 911 to report smoke coming from the home.

When firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Chuck Hubbard said they saw heavy smoke coming from the front door.

The fire appears to have started in the basement, he said. The heat from the blaze damaged the floors above.

The residents weren't home at the time, and no one was injured, Hubbard said. They won't be able to return to the home because of the damage; it's not clear how long they'll be displaced.

A damage estimate is not yet available. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Hubbard said every firefighter on duty responded to the fire, and units from nearby municipalities covered the city's stations.