This was only about a mile from where I live. Scary!
$1 million blaze
Bitter cold, high winds hamper firefighters at Shelby home
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]By Mitch Hotts[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Macomb Daily Staff Writer[/FONT]
Shelby Township firefighters worked in arctic conditions Sunday afternoon trying to quell a massive fire that caused more than $1 million in damage to a large house in the Tuscany Grove subdivision.
Investigators did not suspect foul play in the second-alarm blaze to the 6,000-square-foot home on Avalon Street, in the area of 24 Mile and Schoenherr, but did not know what caused it. The family of two adults and two children escaped without injury.
No firefighters were hurt even though they had to contend with single-digit temperatures and gusting 30 mph winds that made it feel like 15 degrees below zero.
"We're dealing with horrible, horrible conditions here," said fire Chief George Morehouse.
Residents on Avalon opened their homes and garages to fire crews, offering them food, hot coffee and a few moments of warmth.
"It's the least we can do," said homeowner Peter Agnello, who let firefighters use his bathroom and electrical outlets.
Shelby Township sounded a second alarm, which brought in additional manpower from neighboring Macomb Township, Sterling Heights and Utica fire departments. That allowed fire crews to rotate in the bitter cold, creating a brief rest period for others.
Fire officials could not immediately say what caused the fire, which was reported about 3:30 p.m. However it appeared most of the fire was coming from the second floor of the two-story residence.
The fire seemed under control after about two hours of pouring water on it, but flare-ups continued to be reported until after 7:30 p.m. At one point, additional diesel fuel had to be brought in to power an aerial ladder engine that had been working on the fire for four hours.
Shelby Township Supervisor Ralph "Skip" Maccarone, who was at the scene of the fire, said he was pleased the family was able to escape the home without injuries and that neighbors were helping fire first-responders.
"It's a tremendous showing of community support," Maccarone said.
Macomb County was under a wind chill advisory that is expected to end at noon today, meaning even small amounts of exposure could result in hypothermia. The National Weather Service said today's high is only expected to reach 14 degrees, with a slight warm-up by Wednesday.
Despite the bitter cold, homeless shelters in Macomb County were not filled to capacity, operators reported.
"We have 18 open beds, which is very weird given the weather outside," said Jimetta Lewis, executive director of the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter (MCREST). "It might be everyone is at the county warming center."
Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said the county jail - often used as a last resort for the homeless seeking shelter - had not been used for that purpose this weekend.
Elsewhere across Michigan, State Police closed the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge due to whiteout conditions. Also, an invasive species cleanup at Algonac State Park in St. Clair County was canceled due to the cold weather.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/021108/loc_fire.shtml
$1 million blaze
Bitter cold, high winds hamper firefighters at Shelby home
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]By Mitch Hotts[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Macomb Daily Staff Writer[/FONT]
Shelby Township firefighters worked in arctic conditions Sunday afternoon trying to quell a massive fire that caused more than $1 million in damage to a large house in the Tuscany Grove subdivision.
Investigators did not suspect foul play in the second-alarm blaze to the 6,000-square-foot home on Avalon Street, in the area of 24 Mile and Schoenherr, but did not know what caused it. The family of two adults and two children escaped without injury.
No firefighters were hurt even though they had to contend with single-digit temperatures and gusting 30 mph winds that made it feel like 15 degrees below zero.
"We're dealing with horrible, horrible conditions here," said fire Chief George Morehouse.
Residents on Avalon opened their homes and garages to fire crews, offering them food, hot coffee and a few moments of warmth.
"It's the least we can do," said homeowner Peter Agnello, who let firefighters use his bathroom and electrical outlets.
Shelby Township sounded a second alarm, which brought in additional manpower from neighboring Macomb Township, Sterling Heights and Utica fire departments. That allowed fire crews to rotate in the bitter cold, creating a brief rest period for others.
Fire officials could not immediately say what caused the fire, which was reported about 3:30 p.m. However it appeared most of the fire was coming from the second floor of the two-story residence.
The fire seemed under control after about two hours of pouring water on it, but flare-ups continued to be reported until after 7:30 p.m. At one point, additional diesel fuel had to be brought in to power an aerial ladder engine that had been working on the fire for four hours.
Shelby Township Supervisor Ralph "Skip" Maccarone, who was at the scene of the fire, said he was pleased the family was able to escape the home without injuries and that neighbors were helping fire first-responders.
"It's a tremendous showing of community support," Maccarone said.
Macomb County was under a wind chill advisory that is expected to end at noon today, meaning even small amounts of exposure could result in hypothermia. The National Weather Service said today's high is only expected to reach 14 degrees, with a slight warm-up by Wednesday.
Despite the bitter cold, homeless shelters in Macomb County were not filled to capacity, operators reported.
"We have 18 open beds, which is very weird given the weather outside," said Jimetta Lewis, executive director of the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter (MCREST). "It might be everyone is at the county warming center."
Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said the county jail - often used as a last resort for the homeless seeking shelter - had not been used for that purpose this weekend.
Elsewhere across Michigan, State Police closed the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge due to whiteout conditions. Also, an invasive species cleanup at Algonac State Park in St. Clair County was canceled due to the cold weather.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/021108/loc_fire.shtml
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