Orion Township firefighters battled a pair of house fires last week, with one claiming a home on Heights Road.
The department responded to the report of a house fire on Pine Lake Lane, located off of Indianwood Road, at about 6 p.m. on May 31.
That fire originated in a home office/basement area, according to Orion Township Assistant Fire Chief Bob Smith, who said the homeowner was nearly able to extinguish it using a garden hose.
At about 2:15 p.m. on June 1, the department responded to a porch fire at a home on Heights Road, located along Square Lake, near Pine Tree Elementary School.
The roof of the home was engulfed by the time firefighters from all four Orion Township stations arrived on the scene.
The 55-year-old homeowner was able to flee the home after noticing the fire, along with her dog.
No injuries were reported, although a neighbor was taken to Crittenton Hospital via ambulance and treated for smoke inhalation, after complaining of breathing problems.
The home is being deemed a total loss.
‘There will be an independent investigation, which will show the cause and origin of the fire,? Smith said, adding that the investigation should be completed in the next week.
Some nearby residents reported hearing an explosion, but Smith said that is a common occurrence in fires of this size, known as a ‘backdraft.?
‘There was no indication that we had any type of explosion at all,? he said.
‘We did the best we could, but luck just wasn’t on our side with that one.?
Another house next to the Heights home also received severe exterior heat damage in the incident, as firefighters kept hoses on that structure to try to keep it from also catching fire.