DETROIT (WXYZ) — For the second time in nine months, residents of Lafayette Towers in Detroit were forced to evacuate after the popular high-rise apartment caught fire.
Detroit fire officials say the fire was reported Monday at 5:15 PM. One woman is recovering after suffering second and third-degree burns and the cause is still under investigation.
But multiple residents say the apartment’s alarm system was slow to give warning, echoing concerns raised back in September when the building last caught fire.
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“I actually saw fire trucks,” said Ronald Little, a Lafayette Towers resident. “I didn't hear an alarm, but alarms actually came on after I got outside.”
On Instagram, another resident shared video of fire trucks pulling up to the building while, inside, no alarms could be heard.
A third resident recorded a video when the alarm began sounding at 5:27 pm—12 minutes after the fire was called into 911.
Back in September, a fire started in an apartment on the 9th floor of the same tower, leaving damage both above and below.
Many residents said they couldn’t hear the alarms sound then either, leading to calls for new and better alarm systems and illuminated exit signs.
Ironically, residents say that building management was testing those new alarms yesterday, just hours before the real fire began.
Multiple calls to Lafayette Towers and its management company were not returned.
