Firefighters responded to a house fire near Grange Hall Road about a half mile west of I-75 on Monday morning.
At about 10:35 a.m. firefighters from North Oakland County Fire Authority, Groveland Township and the Village of Holly were called to a home on Blueberry Drive in Holly Township following a 9-1-1 call.
When firefighters arrived they found a 48-year old female sitting along side the road with burns to her face, arms and upper chest area.
‘A neighbor who lived across the street from the victim saw the fire, opened the front door of the burning house and found her lying on the floor. He pulled her out by her arms. She was conscience but could not speak due to inhalation burns. About 40 percent of her body was burned,? said Jeremy Lintz, NOCFA fire chief.
The victim, who was terminally ill and needed oxygen, was transported to Genesys Regional Medical Center and later to Hurley Hospital due to her injuries.
As of Tuesday the cause of the fire remains under investigation, however, it was not believed the oxygen tanks were the cause of the fire. The victim’s husband was not at home at the time of the fire, worked nearby and was contacted by police.
The small cinder block structure was a total loss.
Next door neighbor Steve Gunn was awaken by the explosions about 10:30 a.m. He dialed 9-1-1 soon after the blast and moved his family to the bathroom in the center of the house.
‘It sounded like a shotgun went off,? said Gunn, a resident for the past two years. ‘The windows rattled’there were at least three explosions.?
‘There were flames shooting out of the back of the house, I know my neighbor never leaves, she’s always there. She’s on oxygen and is terminally ill.?
Fred Crawford lives about a quarter mile east of the house and walked over when he heard the explosion. ‘I thought it was thunder,? said Crawford. ‘Then I heard the other explosions.?