Ann Arbor's Maynard House evacuated after fire starts near basement incinerator

“It’s out, I believe that it was started by the incinerator,” Battalion Chief Robert Vogel said. “They burn their trash at four in the morning, and they believe that the guy left the door open, and it caught fire to the trash left next to it.”

Firefighters first found fire in the basement in a trash chute. They later determined that fire was also burning inside the trash chute on the first and second floors, Vogel said.

Firefighters, who were on the scene roughly 90 minutes, were able to contain the fire to the basement incinerator area and chute.

Smoke was found on all floors, including the 11th-floor penthouse, Vogel said. There, firefighters also found a small fire after the occupant left the stove on after hearing the fire alarm and evacuating the building.

Dispatchers reported receiving numerous 9-1-1 calls, mostly from residents who reported smoke.

The Maynard House is a 74-unit high rise comprised of studio and one-bedroom apartment units, two two-bedroom penthouse units on the 11th floor and four street-level businesses. A woman who answered the phone at Post Realty Properties, which manages the building, said Sunday that the office was closed and no one was available to comment.

Fire personnel used fans to clear the building of smoke. It wasn't clear whether occupants had been allowed back in the building, Vogel said. The fire inspector was still investigating the premises as of Sunday afternoon.

Contact freelancer Sven Gustafson at sventg123(at)gmail(dot)com, or follow him on Twitter.