Tenant escapes apartment fire, uses garden hose to fight fire

Tenant Kyle Lunde, left in white, watches as firefighters investigate the fire scene.

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief. 

LUDINGTON — Kyle Lunde was sitting in his upstairs apartment Sunday afternoon when he heard people pounding on the side of the house and shouting. When he went to the window, he could see thick smoke coming from the opposite side of the building. The fire was near the door to the apartment, the only exit.

“When I ran through there, I could hear and feel the fire,” he said. He got through the engulfed area safely and then immediately grabbed a garden hose. The hose didn’t reach up the stairs, he said, but he was able to spray water in the direction of the fire and get it under control before the fire department arrived.

The initial 911 call was made from the Cartier Mansion, located just southeast of Lunde’s apartment at 406 E. Court St. All the occupants of the house were able to get out safely.

Ludington Fire Dept. arrived and was able to put the rest of the fire out.

Kyle Lunde’s father, Jeff Lunde, owns the building. Kyle said he thought it might have been started near the outside electric outlet, located near the door.

The fire was reported about 12:40 p.m. Firefighters were still on scene at 1:20 p.m. but were in the process of cleaning up.