Fire in downtown Monroe causes damage to nearby business Sunday morning

MONROE, Mich. (WTVG) – An apartment fire in Monroe that displaced more than 10 residents on Sunday morning caused severe damage to a nearby business.

The building, located at 49 S. Monroe St., caught on fire around 4 a.m. this morning. According to the Monroe Public Safety Department, all residents were able to evacuate safely, and one firefighter was taken to the hospital where he remains in stable condition.

Floral City Images and Photography’s studio is connected to the building where the fire occurred. Stacey Westbrook, associate shooter for Floral City Images and Photography, says the fire caused water damage and ceiling tiles to fall in their studio.

Westbrook, along with owners Dave and Sue Grassley, were not able to get into the studio until 10:15 this morning after firefighters had cleared the streets.

All photo restoration projects were retrieved safely, Westbrook says, and they are currently working on accessing hard drives to make sure wedding photographs are safe.

Westbrook says she mainly photographs newborns and maternity portraits, and her client closet is on the wall attached to the apartment building.

“Fortunately, everybody’s okay, you know, that’s the kind of stuff we think about,” Westbrook said. “People are okay. Nobody lost their lives. Stuff is stuff, it’s replaceable.”

According to Westbrook, the building is a Signature Bank on the first floor with two apartments above it, and construction crews have been working for the past few months to build two more apartments above them.

Westbrook says a local restoration company is coming tomorrow to further assess the damage.

“Downtown Monroe is a pretty tight-knit community,” Westbrook said. “I have no doubts that the community will band together to help.”

A Monroe City Public Information Officer told 13 Action News they weren’t sure of how many units were in the building, but at least 10 residents were displaced. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials say.

Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals