Hawks home damaged during a Sunday morning fire

It was frustrating for Emil Rasche, 93, of Hawks to watch as the fire at his home of 38 years started to build. Just before 4 a.m. Sunday, Rasche was awakened by the sound of crackling outside of his bedroom window. Along with the noise, he saw something flash through the window. Rasche got up and first looked at a satellite dish which was recently installed, but everything looked fine. A second time out of the house, Rasche saw an electrical line arcing just past the electrical meter on the south side of the home.

?Something shorted out in that wet snow,? said Rasche. He saw the fire spreading and immediately dialed 911. At 3:54 a.m. the Rogers City Fire Department was dispatched to the home on County Road 451. Rasche said it was a good response by the RCFD even though the roads were bad. ?They did a pretty good job as far as getting here.? Not only did arriving crews note the arcing line, but further observed that the fire had extended to the exterior wall.

THIS PROVED to be the most frustrating time for Rasche, who watched the fire spread as firefighters waited for Presque Isle Electric & Gas to arrive 45 minutes later to turn off the power. ?Nobody could shut it off except REA (PIE & G), but that took some time,? said Rasche, who had purchased the home in 1944 before working in Detroit. He retired in 1967 and moved back in. Fire crews used dry chemical extinguishers until the power was turned off and a traditional fire attack could be initiated. Because of the age and type of construction of the house, the fire extended into the second floor and the attic space. This made the extinguishing of the fire very difficult and time-consuming, according to a RCFD press release.

The second floor received extensive damage. The main floor had severe damage to two rooms, while the rest of the rooms received extensive water and smoke damage. There were no injuries to Rasche, who was the only occupant, or firefighters. The weekend before, Rasche had five family members spend the night in the house. They were visiting Hawks to help celebrate the 99th birthday of his sister Adele Henke.

FRIENDS AND neighbors showed Rasche overwhelming support during his time of need. Neighbors Paul and Christy Prell took Emil in and made him breakfast. They also helped contact other family members. Paul called Emil?s son Neil Rasche of Milford at 6:15 a.m. ?He told me what happened,? Neil Rasche

said of the phone call. ?When you get a call like that, you think the worse right away. It was bad, but not as bad as it could have been.? Other family members traveled north from East Lansing and Ann Arbor to help out.

The Presque Isle County Red Cross responded at 5 a.m. and was able to use its ?disaster trailer? for the first time. Rasche was given a comfort kit and a blanket. He also was given certificates to purchase new clothes and groceries. He also lost his medication in the fire, which was replaced by the Red Cross. Emil said he wouldn?t be able to use everything that has been given him since the fire.

The disaster team provided coffee, hot cocoa and pop for the firefighters and emergency workers. The Posen Fire Department, Case Township Fire Department, Allied Ambulance, and the Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department assisted the RCFD at the scene. There were approximately 30 firefighters at the scene from the various departments.

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