A barn fire disturbed an otherwise quiet afternoon along the township’s most northern stretch of Baldwin Road last week.
Units from neighboring areas also responded to the April 24 fire.
Early reports said the fire had spread to a nearby subdivision, but Orion Fire Chief Jeff Key said those inaccurate reports were likely due to the smoke coming from the fire.
‘There was a tremendous amount of black smoke that could be seen a long ways away,? he said.
Some callers could see the smoke from over one mile away.
According to an Oakland County Sheriff’s Department report, the fire, in the 200 block of Baldwin, was labeled as suspicious, but there were no injuries.
‘There was a lot of hay and straw,? Key said of the barn’s contents. ‘It adds to the fire load.?
‘Barn fires tend to flare pretty intensely,? he added. ‘It looked like it was fairly old and the wood was dry.?
Key estimated that it took units about an hour to put out the fire after getting the call around 4 p.m.
The fire remains under investigation and some juveniles were reported in and around the barn shortly before the fire started.
Some units from Independence Township responded because it was initially unclear if the fire was in Orion or Independence.
The barn was located past the roundabout near Indianwood Road, in the 200-block of Baldwin.
Key said that while responding to the barn fire, the Orion Fire Department received a second call about a fire at Orion Mini Self-Storage on Waldon Road.
He said several units provided backup for that fire as well. A motor home sustained damage, but no one was injured.