An Addison Township resident emerged from his shower Sept. 15 to discover his home was on fire.
Addison firefighters were called to 1880 Lowood Trail, just west of Dequindre Road, at approximately 8:28 p.m. and arrived at the scene in six minutes.
‘When the firefighters first arrived, they could see smoke coming out of the first and second floor with fire showing,? said Addison Fire Chief George Spencer.
Firefighters were able to get the fire knocked down in five minutes and under control in 20 minutes, according to Spencer. They then cleared the hot spots.
Nobody was in the house when firefighters arrived and the utilities had been shut off by the owner.
No firefighters were injured in the fire. Spencer said that the first crew did an awesome job and thanked Oxford and Almont’s fire departments for their assistance.
At this time, there’s no dollar estimate concerning the damage as insurance adjusters are still working on the case. Per standard procedure, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Fire Investigation Unit is looking into the cause of the blaze.
According to Spencer, the homeowner was cooking in the kitchen when he went upstairs to take a shower. When he exited the shower, he saw what he thought was steam, but turned out to be smoke.
Unable to go downstairs and escape because of the fire, he exited through the second-floor balcony and jumped onto the hood of a nearby vehicle.
Once inside the house, firefighters found an aluminum pan melted onto a stove burner.
‘We surmise this was the point of origin for the fire,? Spencer said.
For you science buffs, aluminum’s melting point is 1,221 degrees Fahrenheit.
With that, Spencer encouraged residents to make sure they have a working smoke detector with good batteries in their home, and to have it checked regularly.
It’s also a good idea to stay in the kitchen when something’s cooking on the burner.
‘Never leave anything on the stove unattended,? Spencer said.
If a resident doesn’t have a fire extinguisher, they are encouraged to contact the fire department to get one.