Firefighters battle 2 Sturgis fires

Sturgis firefighters responded to two separate house fires on the same day last week.

Officials said the department was summoned around 5 a.m. Friday to the 500 block of Michigan Avenue for a report of a structure fire.

Arriving units found flames coming from the attic area. However, firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the home.

While still on the scene at the Michigan Avenue incident, the department got a call for a structure fire in the 300 block of South Monroe Street.

Firefighters arrived to find a single-family home with heavy fire coming from a bedroom. The fire was brought under control before damaging other parts of the house or neighboring residences.

Department officials said occupants in both cases evacuated safely thanks in part to functioning smoke detectors.