ST. JOHNS, Mich. — After a fire devastated the newly renovated St. Johns Motel on Saturday, neighbors are coming together to offer support to displaced families.
- The St. Johns Motel fire displaced eight families who were using the motel as their home.
- Local organizations immediately stepped in to provide temporary housing at a nearby motel.
- Fire officials are investigating the cause, with the chief currently suspecting it may be electrical.
WATCH: St. Johns community responds after devastating motel fire displaces families
The St. Johns Motel was more than just a place to stay for neighbors. It was a symbol of help for those in need - now gone.
"It was really emotional," said Cyndi Thelen, Director of Beacon of Hope.
Fire Chief Kevin Douglas confirmed there were no injuries in the fire that started around 3:34 p.m. But before Saturday's flames even died down, neighbors sprung into action.
"We ended up with eight families that we placed at the Sleep Inn in DeWitt," said John Thelen, Director of St. Vincent de Paul.
Cyndi and John immediately offered resources to the families displaced by the fire.
"The families impacted by this were using the St. Johns Motel for their home, so they had one room that had most all of their possessions. So they lost some things that they can't replace," John said.
And motel owner Rachel Jones lost her building. Jones used to live in the area but now lives in Nevada. I caught up with her on the phone today while she was in between insurance calls.
"Having the motel has changed our lives. Being a part of the St. Johns community. The people that we've met, and the partnerships that we've built. Our hope is to rebuild the St. Johns hotel so that we're able to help the community," Jones said.
Chief Douglas shared insight on his continuing investigation into the fire, with no cause determined just yet.
"We're leaning toward possibly electrical at this time," Douglas said.
Cyndi said that this event has highlighted St. Johns' housing issue.
"We do know how much those rooms meant to them. And because there's such a lack of affordable housing here and no homeless shelter, that was our place," she said.
Now for neighbors there's nothing left to do but move forward.
"We'll get through it. And it'll be OK. That's all I know, it'll be OK," Jones said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
