Posen family chased from their home by fire
A Posen home suffered heavy smoke damage from a basement fire early last Friday, leaving one family without a place to stay. The Sommerfields, who live on M-65 across the street from the BP gas station, were staying at motels until structural repairs are made to the home. Some of the cleanup work started over the weekend.
Posen fire crews haven?t had to respond to a structure fire in some time, but had an overwhelming response when the call came in at 2:45 a.m. More than 15 volunteer firefighters were on hand to fight the fire, according to Posen Fire Department spokesman Terry Buczkowski.
THREE MEMBERS of the Sommerfield family escaped the home after a smoke alarm sitting on a refrigerator went off. It had been placed on the fridge while the Sommerfields were painting rooms, but it still worked. A 911 call was placed across the street at a payphone. If the alarm hadn?t worked, there would have been more damage to the home, and its unclear whether everyone would have been alerted of the fire in time to get out.
Posen fire crews, as well as firefighters from Long Rapids and Rogers City, worked together to get everything under control. There were no injuries. The Posen fire department was on the scene until 6 a.m. More than 1,800 gallons of water were used to contain the fire. Most of the damage occurred to the floor joists and wires in the basement.
BECA– USE THE local fire investigator was on vacation, the fire marshal from Petoskey, Mike McCarthey, was asked to investigate the cause of the blaze, which as of Tuesday, was still under investigation.
The American Red Cross offered its assistance at the scene and placed the family in a motel for three days. The assistance was appreciated, but was no longer needed because the Sommerfields are insured.