Addison firefighters extinguished a house fire Sunday afternoon at 3912 Cherokee Ct.
‘The crews had a tough fight,? said Addison Fire Chief George Spencer. ‘There was a lot of fire in this structure when we got there.?
At 3:35 p.m., a fire alarm alerted the department to the blaze located off Barr Rd. between Drahner and Indian Lake roads.
When firefighters arrived, two decks (on the upper and lower levels) attached to the back of the 3,500-square-foot quad level home were fully involved as were the basement and kitchen.
‘It looks like the fire started in the basement,? Spencer said. ‘The residents were not home at the time.?
From there, it appears the fire broke through the door wall to the lower level deck outside, then spread to the upper level deck, which contained a three season room, and adjacent kitchen.
‘Within about 35 minutes or so, we had the situation under control,? said Spencer, noting the department received aid from Oxford, Orion, Oakland and Rochester.
Approximately 35-40 percent of the home sustained fire-related damage, according to the chief. An estimated $150,000 in contents and structure was damaged.
Situated atop a hill overlooking the street and surrounded by uneven topography, the home’s location didn’t make it easy on firefighters.
Winds from the east blew flames and smoke directly toward firefighters as they battled the blaze from a small plateau where the garage was located.
‘It was a challenge, to put it mildly,? Spencer said. ‘Even the (fire) investigator was praising how well the FD did to the homeowner. Everybody did an awesome job.?
Although the Oakland County Sheriff’s Fire Investigation Unit is looking into what happened per standard procedure, Spencer said they’ve preliminarily indicated to him the fire appears accidental in nature, possibly electrical.
The only casualty from the blaze was a Great Dane found dead in the basement. It appears some other family pets are missing.