By By MICHAEL C. GUILMETTE JR. / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Niles Township and City of Niles firefighters battled a blaze on Regent Street in Niles Township Wednesday evening.
At 5:57 p.m., both departments received an alarm call of the fire, and the City of Niles Fire Department arrived first on scene, according to Niles Township Fire Department Lt. Doug Myers.
Myers said the occupant, who was sleeping at the time of the fire, was awoken by a smoke detector. The occupant and his dogs then escaped from the residence.
The fire took only 20 minutes to contain, but Myers said there was smoke damage throughout the house with extensive fire damage in the kitchen.
Myers added the smoke detector saved the occupant's life.
"If it hadn't been for the smoke detector, we would've been pulling a body out of there," he said.
The departments cleared the scene at 8:33 p.m., but city firefighters were also called to Parkview Apartments on Front Street in Niles at about 6:30 p.m.
Niles Fire Department Chief Larry Lamb said the alarm, however, was due to an activated sprinkler system in an unoccupied apartment, likely caused by the cold weather.
Firefighters quickly entered the department to stop the flow of water and then helped with cleanup.
The Berrien County Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police also responded to the Regent Street fire.