Lakewood Lanes in Waterford Township demolished after large fire

WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) - Crews demolished Lakewood Lanes in Waterford Township Friday morning after a large fire destroyed the building.

There were no major injuries, but a firefighter did suffer a shoulder injury while fighting the fire and had to be taken to a nearby hospital.

"They were in there for about 20-25 min before they found the fire.  We saw eminent signs of collapse and pulled our guys out," said Waterford Township Fire Marshal Matt Covey.

Michele Craft, the owner of the bowling alley, tells 7 Action News that the alley just reopened for the season on August 15.  They usually close during the summer months. 

"The economy is bad.  People don’t have the extra money to go bowling.  The leagues have been off in the summer for the last few years so we just closed up.  There’s no reason to run the building and cool the lights,” said Craft.

Some bowlers and workers had been in the establishment earlier in the day but it was closed when the fire broke out. Craft's husband had just closed up for the night. 

"My husband actually had just come home from work when we started getting the calls.  He got in the door about quarter to nine and literally walked in the door when people started calling," said Craft.

Michele and her husband bought the bowling alley in 1998 and it has been a Waterford Township establishment since 1930.  The building is gutted inside and the fire marshal said it was a total loss.

"A lot of people think this is a big party, but this is our livelihood, so yeah, it's hard," said Craft.

So far there there is no known cause as to what started the fire.

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