No Injuries in Two Home Fires in Rochester Hills

No one was injured — not even the family pets — when fires broke out in two separate residences in Rochester Hills on Sunday afternoon.

The fires were reported within 15 minutes of each other and occurred about  a mile apart off Livernois Road.

House fire started in laundry room

Firefighters first responded to a fire in the 3000 block of Livernois Road at 1:17 p.m.. According to Rochester Hills Fire Chief Ron Crowell, two adults and two children — a mom, her two children and a friend — escaped unharmed. Also uninjured were several pets, including a dog and cat. Crowell said the fire started in the laundry room but he could not say if  a clothes dryer was the cause.

Rochester Hills was assisted by the Rochester fire department and the Oakland County sheriff's office helped reroute traffic. Livernois Road was closed between South and Auburn roads for about three hours.

Apartment fire put out in minutes

Fifteen minutes after being called to the Livernois blaze, firefighters received a call about a second fire in an apartment on Lower Ridge Drive.

The apartment is in a complex near the northeast corner of Auburn and Livernois roads. Two fire trucks en route to the Livernois Road fire were re-routed to fight the second fire that was extinguished in minutes, Crowell said.

The cause of the apartment fire is unknown, but it  is believed to be accidental and started in the living room, he said. No one was home. A dog inside the apartment was evacuated safely.