Home lost in structure fire Saturday

Daily News Staff Writer

RILEY KELLEY | Daily News

Trucks from the Scottville Fire Department are parked near a structure fire on Victory Corner Drive Saturday. It took area fire departments several hours to fully beat back the blaze.

VICTORY TWP. — A home was lost but no one was injured in a structure fire in Victory Township Saturday afternoon.

Several emergency crews responded to the fire near where West Decker Road meets North Victory Corner Drive around 12:24 p.m., according to Scott Graczyk, assistant chief of the Pere Marquette Township Fire Department.

Graczyk's department was among the first on the scene, with the Ludington, Hamlin, Scottville, Custer and Fountain fire departments also pitching in, along with the Fountain Fire Auxiliary. Life EMS and the Michigan State Police also assisted.

Graczyk said no one was in the building at the time of the fire, and that the homeowners called 911 after returning home from an errand and seeing flames.

"The homeowner came home and found the house was on fire and called 911," he said. "We went out there and extinguished it. … It wasn't really fully engulfed, but it had been burning for a little bit when the homeowner was gone."

Considerable time, energy, water and manpower were needed to bring the fire down.

"It took quite a while with it being this hot," Graczyk said, adding that the 80-plus-degree temperatures didn't help matters.

Firefighters spent about 45 minutes bringing the blaze to heel, and it took several additional hours to "mop up the hotspots" and stop it for good, according to Graczyk.

"It built up enough heat inside that it broke out the window in the kitchen, then it got a little bit of oxygen and started burning," Graczyk said. "It went through the ceiling and went through the roof after a few minutes."

He added that the roof "came down on top of itself," which added further complicated things.

"That's what took some extra time, too," he said. "We had to get underneath it."

Though there were no injuries, Graczyk believes the home was irrevocably damaged.

"All their belongings were pretty well lost," he said. "I would say it is going to be a total loss."

The cause and point of origin for the fire have yet to be determined. Graczyk said a fire investigator will examine the scene on Monday to try to learn more about what happened.

High temperatures and little rainfall have upped the chances of fires. Graczyk said it's important to turn off electric devices when leaving a home, and to pay attention to burning bans and red-flag warnings that may be in effect.

"Make sure your stoves are all off and as far as outside, with as dry as it is, make sure you watch your campfires," he said. "Keep a hose handy."

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Daily News Staff Writer

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