Fire rips through house, causing major damage.

Fire rips through house, causing major damage.

#OceanaCounty

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

ELBRIDGE TOWNSHIP – A large two-story house that is over 100 years old was extensively damaged by fire Monday morning, Nov. 18.

The fire at 265 E. Tyler Road started in the kitchen, and the kitchen is destroyed, said Captain Lance VanSickle of Walkerville Area Fire and Rescue. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 8:30 a.m.

There is smoke damage throughout the home owned by Gail Salazar. “Everything is covered in black,” VanSickle said.

When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting out a window on the west side of the house. They quickly contained the blaze. Siding near the window melted from the heat.

Salazar and her granddaughter were inside the six-bedroom house when the fire started.

“We were sleeping, and I heard the dog barking by the door,” she said. “I got up and the house was full of smoke.” She and her granddaughter safely escaped, and her two dogs ran outside. As of 10:30 a.m., her dogs were missing. One is a golden lab, and the other is a black “mutt,” she said. Her cat died in the fire.

Salazar said there was a fire at the approximate 2,500-square-foot house many years ago before she owned it.

The house is insured, she said. She plans stay with her son who lives next door because the house is uninhabitable due to the damage. Salazar’s sister Barbara Locke said she she plans to contact the Crystal Valley Care Fund for assistance.

Firefighters from Hart and Crystal Township assisted Walkerville at the scene. Michigan State Police had Tyler Road blocked off in the vicinity of the fire. Life EMS also responded to the scene.

This story is copyrighted © 2019, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.