At 4:45 a.m., March 10, the Groveland Township Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 3000 block of Auten Road between Croup and Jossman roads. A neighbor called the in fire when he could see the flames lighting up the sky.
‘It was a working fire with flames coming out of the upper story windows when firefighters arrived,? said Steve McGee, township fire chief. ‘The smoke alarms were going off when crews arrived. The home was near township station 2 on Grange Hall Road and firefighters arrived in less than eight minutes.?
Atlas and Brandon firefighters, along with the Village of Holly and North Oakland County Fire Authority, also responded to the blaze, extinguished in about 15 minutes, added McGee.
‘The home was occupied at the time of the fire and a male youth was taken to an area hospital after he jumped a railing on the staircase to escape the fire,? he said.
His injury is not life threatening.
‘The firefighters were hampered on an icy 500-foot driveway leading up to the structure,? he said. ‘Everyone did a good job considering the conditions. We were able to attack the fire through the upstairs windows to save the roof. There was a lot of property damage due to smoke.?
The fire remains under investigation; however, a faulty humidifier may have been the cause.