Dog perishes in blaze; owners not home when house caught fire

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor.

SHELBY TWP. — A dog died in a house fire Saturday afternoon, Aug. 15, at the northeast corner of Oceana Drive and Buchanan Road, said Shelby-Benona Fire Chief Jack White.

The homeowners were not home at the time the fire ignited, which was shortly before 1 p.m., and fire personnel were still trying to contact the owners. Fire personnel did not want to release the owners’ names until they were contacted. It was not immediately known whether or not the house was insured.

Firefighters from six departments were called to the scene due to a shortage in manpower, White said. In addition to Shelby-Benona, departments from Hart, Grant Township, Ferry Township, Pentwater and Walkerville were dispatched to the scene. Oceana EMS was on standby and provided water to the firefighters battling the blaze in the 90-degree heat. Red Cross was being called in the assist the family, White said, and the Crystal Valley Care Fund was also notified, he said.

The two-story farmhouse received “extensive damage,” White said, although the firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. “We got it knocked down in the kitchen right away,” White said.

Smoke and flames could been seen coming from the upstairs of the house.

The cause of the fire is currently undetermined, White said. The Oceana County Fire Investigation Team was called in to investigate the blaze.