The Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA) arrived on the scene of a structure fire on July 27 in the 11000 block of Roepke Road in Lyndon Township to find an attached garage fully engulfed with 50-percent extension into the home.
Siding was melted off the nearby pole barn, one vehicle in the garage and one outside the garage were involved in the fire and were total losses.
A faulty propane tank was determined to be the cause of the fire that began in the garage.
No one was injured in the fire and the Red Cross was not needed to aid the homeowners.
It took CAFA 8 minutes to arrive on the scene following the 10:40 a.m. call and an off duty fire captain from a different department who lives in the area saw the smoke and made his way to the structure and was able to guide CAFA before they got on the the scene.
Firefighters from Chelsea, Dexter, Putnam, Unidilla, Henrietta, Stockbridge, Scio, Manchester and Grass Lake and the City of Ann Arbor arrived on the scene when a second alarm was called to assist in the efforts.
Fire Capt. Scott Basar said, “A second alarm was struck to request manpower and for safety due to the extreme heat and a need for additional apparatus carrying water.”
He said about 25 firefighters were on the scene for about three hours and after knocking down the fire, they were able to retrieve some of the homeowner’s valuables from inside the home that include a large amount of cash.
The fire was under control in about 15 minutes he said.
