Fire Destroys Barlow Street Storage Units

An early morning fire in Garfield Township Sunday destroyed two storage units and could affect surrounding units.

Authorities responded to the scene of the fire at Security Storage at 1650 Barlow Street at 4:37am. A heavy fire in one of the units was producing so much smoke it could be seen from several miles away, according to the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department. Three Metro trucks were dispatched to the scene and quickly controlled the blaze. However, crews then "spent several hours working to overhaul the two units affected, as well as trying to salvage the personal belongings in the six other surrounding units," according to GT Metro. "This task was made more difficult by the close-to-zero temperatures overnight, as well as the amount of belongings in each unit."

A total of 17 crew members worked the scene and were able to clear the area by 10am. A single occupant of the building at the time of the fire escaped unharmed. No first responders or bystanders were injured in the blaze. Two units on the property are considered total losses, while the storage building itself will need extensive repairs. But the contents of the other six units "were saved, suffering little-to-moderate smoke and water damage," according to GT Metro.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.