Three occupants, two cats unharmed in Sylvan Township house fire

(Publisher’s note: The spelling of Ivey Road has been corrected. )

Three occupants escaped a house fire on Ivey Road in Sylvan Township early Wednesday morning, Jan. 16, and Chelsea Area Fire Authority firefighters saved two cats in the blaze that did about $100,000 in damages.

Chelsea Fire Chief Jim Payeur said there were three occupants in the home, one female and two males, who were outside when firefighters arrived on the scene.

The female occupant was in the shower when the fire broke out on the first floor of the home near a wood stove, Payeur said. She escaped the home wrapped in a bed sheet and was very concerned about the cats, he said.

Firefighters Ian Ballard and Chuck Downer went inside the home, found and rescued the cats, he said.

Payeur said the fire was on the first floor, had gone through the second floor and thru the attic, but firefighters were able to “hold the fire” he said.

“It was a hot, smoky fire and rapidly expanding,” he said. “This was a huge save.”

Fire Lt. Scot Basar said the firefighters were able to use the new ladder truck to get above the hot spots on the roof. “We’ve gotten a ton of use from this new truck.”

Payeur said firefighters were also able to save a lot of the home’s contents, including a tall jewelry box.

There were no injuries to the occupants or the cats, he said of the fire, which was reported about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Two of the three occupants had a place to go but the Red Cross assisted the third occupant, Payeur said.

About 12-14 firefighters were on the scene, including firefighters from the Dexter Area Fire Department.

He said a crew of four Chelsea firefighters arrived on the scene first and a second crew of four firefighters arrived shortly thereafter.