HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 22, 2023) – Some quick work by Holland Department of Public Safety Fire Operations personnel contained the effects of a fire at the Gateway Mission Men’s Center on Friday evening.
According to Captain Chris Tinney, crews were dispatched to the facility at the corner of River Avenue and West 7th Street at 6:50 PM. While there was no sign of flames from the outside, firefighters did spot a small blaze in a kitchen storage room that was controlled by the building’s installed fire protection system. Once assured that the fire was under control, crews assisted staff in moving food and property out of the area as promptly and safely as possible.
A person in the area had to be treated on the scene for a case of smoke inhalation, but otherwise, no responding firefighters or other persons inside of the building at the time of the incident were injured. Damage was confined to the storage area, and the Mission was able to house the needy as normal. Ottawa County Department of Public Health officials also responded to the situation to assist Mission staffers in reopening the kitchen for the resumption of food service operations on Saturday morning.
However, it’s was not as simple as that, as Mission Interim Executive Director Jay Riemersma explained in a video sent out to local churches that was shown to congregations on Sunday.
It was initially believed that the cause of the fire was “electrical in origin,” according to Tinney, but a further investigation by the city’s Fire Marshal’s office will make a final determination. No dollar amount of damage caused by the incident was immediately determined.
