BY JOURNAL TIMES STAFF | Posted: Friday, February 8, 2008 12:00 am
CALEDONIA - A space heater used to keep an outbuilding warm for a dog kept inside is the likely cause for a fire Friday morning that killed the dog and destroyed the steel building.
Caledonia firefighters were called to the fire at 5001 Three Mile Road just before 10 a.m. Friday. Battalion Chief Jeff Henningfeld said an off-duty police officer called in the fire. At the time of the call, the officer said flames had already burned through the roof of the building.
"It was well advanced by the time we were called," Henningfeld said.
Firefighters worked for about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze, but not without difficulty. The outbuilding is located about 1,000 feet from the road, meaning firefighters had to wade through snow just to get to the fire.
Firefighters spent an additional 2 1/2 hours on the scene extinguishing smoldering debris.
The homeowners had left their residence about 30 minutes before the fire was called in. They told firefighters a space heater in the building was used to keep their dog warm. It was unknown Friday morning how or why the space heater ignited.
Henningfeld said the outbuilding was used to house the dog. In addition, a vehicle, lawn care equipment, construction equipment and ATVs were also stored in the building. The property damage estimate from the fire was $25,000 for the structure and $35,000 for the contents.