SOUTHGATE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Weeks after a massive fire destroyed a senior living facility in Southgate, displaced residents finally got the chance to meet and thank the first responders who helped save their lives.
On Wednesday, residents from the American House Senior Living Community gathered with firefighters and police officers from nearly a dozen departments for an appreciation luncheon. The Oct. 24 fire displaced 81 residents and left the facility in ruins.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report below:
"I've never been that scared in my life. I don't ever want to have fire chasing me anywhere," said Roland Young, one of the residents who escaped that night.
Roland and his wife Marilyn Young, married for more than three decades, were among the dozens who safely evacuated with help from first responders.
"We were sound asleep and he heard the fire alarm and woke me up and right when he woke me up, that's when they slammed on the door and broke it down," Marilyn Young said.
Roland Young described the harrowing rescue: "And then they just grabbed us. I said, 'I gotta get the ...' He says, 'You don't gotta get nothing!' He says, 'Let's go!' And he kept his grip on both of us and led us down the hall through the smoke."
The luncheon, hosted by American House, honored the first responders who braved flames, smoke and cold temperatures to bring order to the chaos. The facility presented awards to the emergency personnel as tokens of appreciation.
"Perfect job. Everything was like a military operation pulled off," said American House resident Santi Simone. "Nobody that I saw looked panicky at all thanks to you guys."
Previous coverage: Southgate senior complex fire under investigation, residents recount the rescue
The Southgate Fire Department says the cause of the fire remains under investigation. According to American House it's unclear whether the Southgate facility will be rebuilt. One firefighter and one civilian suffered minor injuries during the incident, but there were no deaths — a point of celebration at Wednesday's gathering.
"Normally, we have fires and we don't get to see the aftermath. We don't get to see the family afterwards. So it's kinda different to see the happiness on people's faces with the outcome and, you know, it's nice to know that your hard work pays off," said Lt. Mark Hunt of the Southgate Fire Department.
Previous coverage: Police body cameras capture heroic senior center fire rescue in Southgate
Many displaced residents now live at American House complexes in Taylor, Westland and Riverview, where staff organized Wednesday's appreciation event.
"It's great to see the appreciation and the community come together like this to show that and give back the way they are. We do it without the appreciation and this just makes it feel so much better," said Chief Justin Graves of the Southgate Fire Department.
For the survivors, the opportunity to express gratitude was long overdue.
"I've been wanting to do this since the day it happened because they saved our life. They literally saved our life," Marilyn Young said.
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