SerpApi.Org
WESTLAKE, Ohio — A fire in an apartment complex left 12 units uninhabitable after crews fought the blaze for nearly three hours Wednesday morning.
Westlake Fire Chief Matt Moran said the fire department received a call shortly before 9 a.m. about a balcony on fire at the Barrington Place Apartments, 28600 Detroit Ave. When they arrived, the roof of the whole 12-unit structure was engulfed in flames.
Crews were able to get the fire under control by 10 a.m., but spent the next two hours extinguishing smaller fires throughout the building. Westlake police shut down nearby roads for two hours so trucks could move in and out.
All residents of the building evacuated and no one in the building was injured, although two firefighters sustained minor injuries at the scene. They did not need to be taken to a hospital, Moran said.
A second 12-unit apartment building in the complex had minor fire damage. Those residents may be displaced for “a few days,” Moran said, but not for as long as those who live in the building where the fire started.
“It’ll take extensive rehab to fix the fully engulfed structure,” Moran said. “We’re talking months.”
The American Red Cross was on scene to help residents in need find alternate housing, Moran said.
Fire crews from Bay Village, Rocky River, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville and Lakewood responded to the scene to help Westlake firefighters quell the flames.
Representatives from the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire, Moran said.
Moran said two boys, ages 6 and 8, were playing video games when they noticed the fire on their balcony. They were graduates of Westlake Safety Town, a program for children entering kindergarten to learn about traffic, fire and school safety.
“These kids alerted mom to what was happening,” Moran said. “They were cool and calm and knew exactly what to do.”
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
