By Jim Newell

Review Editor

An Orion Township woman is dead after a fire at a home on the 600 block of Alan Drive on Friday night.

The Orion Township Fire Department got the call around 11:30 p.m., said Assistant Fire Chief John Pender, and found the upper floor of the home in flames when they arrived.

Sheriff’s deputies also responded to the scene, advising “that smoke and flames were visible,” according to an incident report from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Firefighters setup fire lines and battled the blaze before being able to enter the enflamed area of the home.

“We had it under control in 20 minutes, or less,” Pender said.

Firefighters discovered the woman during their initial pass through the home, said fire officials.

The victim is a 53-year-old Orion Township resident, the report stated.

No one else was in the home at the time.

“We had no firefighter injuries. Everyone did a great job of extinguishing the fire. We obviously hope for a better outcome,” Pender said.

This is the first fire-related death in Orion Township since a couple died after an explosion and fire at their Coats Road in June 2017.

“It doesn’t happen very often around here, thankfully,” Pender said.

The fire department requested the Orion Township Fire Marshall and an investigator from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Fire Investigation Unit respond to the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire, Pender said.

The OCSO fire investigator determined the cause of the fire to be accidental, according to the sheriff’s office report, though an exact cause wasn’t specified.

An investigator from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office also responded to the scene to assist with the death investigation and an autopsy is scheduled.

“The autopsy and tox results play heavily on any final determination,” said an official in the sheriff’s office.

The Oxford Township Fire Department provided manpower and tanker support on scene for the first hour of the incident, Pender said.

Please check the Feb. 13 print edition of The Lake Orion Review for developments to this story.

Photos by Chris Barnett