Fire ravages home; 2 pets die.

By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.

HART TOWNSHIP — A fire ripped through a modular-style home Monday night, May 23, at 2707 W. Lake Rd., causing extensive damage and killing a small dog and a parakeet.

“It could be a total loss,” said Hart Fire Chief Ken Klotz.

It appears that it was an electrical fire, which started in a back bedroom of the home, Klotz said.

When the fire was initially dispatched at 10:05 p.m., responders were told there was a small child still inside the house. When Hart Area Fire Department arrived on the scene, firefighters were told the child was was safely out of the house, Klotz said.

The home, owned by Ismaeal Gonzalez, Jr., was insured, the chief said. Red Cross was called to assist the seven adults and two children who lived in the home, providing them with motel lodging accommodations for the night.

It’s possible that some of the home’s contents can be salvaged, the chief said.

When firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames, but their quick actions extinguished the blaze. Firefighters cleared the scene at 11:48 p.m. “We put it out right away,” Klotz said.

Shelby-Benona Fire Department assisted at the scene. Pentwater Fire Department was dispatched, but then disregarded because the fire was extinguished. Firefighters rescued the dog from the burning home, but the dog “did not make it,” Klotz said.

Also assisting at the scene were the Hart Police Department, the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office and Oceana County EMS. Klotz said he planned to contact the Crystal Valley Care Fund Tuesday morning to help the family.