Steve Zucker/ News-Review
Updated: Fire heavily damages Bay Harbor home, neighboring home saved
- News-Review Staff
- Updated
A fire that broke out early today, Monday, in the Bay Harbor community, caused extensive damage to one home, but firefighters were able to save another large home just a few feet away.
Petoskey Department of Public Safety Director Matthew Breed said firefighters were called to 1080 Vista Drive at about 7:45 a.m. to a report of heavy smoke in the area.
The first emergency crews on the scene found that the fire had already broken through the roof.
Breed said firefighters quickly set up the department’s two aerial trucks, one tasked with suppressing the fire on the home that was burning and a second to protect a neighboring house that is located just a few feet to the east.
Breed said no one was home at the at the residence that caught fire at the time. He said the home is in the process of being remodeled.
Two construction company utility trailers and a trash bin could be seen in the driveway Monday.
Firefighters from the Resort/Bear Creek Fire Department also responded to the scene with a third aerial truck and additional manpower.
As of 11:15 a.m., Breed said the fire was largely under control, but fire crews were still chasing down hot spots and lingering pockets of fire in the building.
He said firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the home to the east. He said the home to the east nearly caught fire at one point, but fire crews were able to limit damage to the home to some smoke damage and some shingles that came off from the pressure of the water streams being used by firefighters.
This aerial image provided by Google, shows the location of the home or homes that were damaged by fire in Bay Harbor today, Monday. The home on the left (to the west) is the home where the fire started. Despite its close proximity, firefighters were able to save the home on the right, limiting damage to smoke damage and some shingle damage from water streams used to suppress the fire.
Courtesy image/Google
He said the initial investigation shows that the fire started somewhere inside the main portion of the house at 1080 Vista Drive. He said there were no vehicles in the garage, and there were no boats in the attached boathouse that faces Bay Harbor Lake. Breed said there were no workers on site at the time of the fire and there were no footprints noted in the snow around the building.
Breed said he expects fire crews will be on the scene for several more hours throughout the day, today.
No injuries were reported in fighting the fire.
Emmet County tax records show the home where the fire started is owned by TJW LLC, KMW Real Estate LLC, located in Versailles, Ohio.
In a news release issued around 4 p.m. Monday, officials with the Bay Harbor Company said the home was located in the development’s Harborside neighborhood
“The Bay Harbor Company is pleased that thanks to the quick response by the Petoskey Department of Public Safety and the Resort/Bear Creek Fire Department, the fire at 1080 Vista Drive was contained to the one home. A neighboring home has received smoke and water damage as a result of the fire. Bay Harbor Company is very pleased that no injuries have been reported.”
Bay Harbor officials said the home has been declared a total loss, with investigation scheduled to begin later today.
Check back later today for more details on the fire as they become available.