BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA AND GINA DAMRON – Detroit Free Press

Fire caused more than $50,000 in damage and displaced nearly 40 residents in Auburn Hills this morning.

“I smelled smoke and it woke me up,” said James Sparks, 72, who has lived in the Auburn Hills Apartments in the building at 2819 Patrick Henry since 1981. “Then they said ‘get out.’ ”

Lt. Casimir Miarka said the 5:40 a.m. fire at the Auburn Hills Apartments likely started in the basement of the building near the storage or laundry room areas.

He said the building was evacuated and an employee at the complex said at 1:15 p.m. that tenants had not yet been allowed back in.

A second-floor apartment in the multi-home building was totaled, with smoke scarring the façade outside. The area under it, just below ground level, was severely damaged and smoke permeated a number of other apartments, Auburn Hills Deputy Fire Chief John Burmeister said.

“I thought someone was arguing with the cops,” said building resident Kyle Babcock, 22, a medical laboratory science student at nearby Oakland University, about hearing firefighters in the hallway near dawn. “I opened the door and they said ‘Get out!’”

The apartment complex is home to many college students, Miarka said.

Firefighters were putting out hot spots and clearing smoke from the building until just after 11 a.m.

The building did not have sprinklers due to its age, which predates sprinkler requirements, Burmeister said.

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