Brandon Twp. – Authorities said a house fire near Davison Lake Road was intentionally set on Wednesday and investigators are waiting to hear from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to take action.
‘The home on Liberty Lane is still under investigation, but the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical source,? said Sgt. Dave Row of the Oakland County Sheriff Department’s Fire Investigation Unit.
‘The home on Davison Lake Road was an intentional act and we will be seeking a disposition through the prosecutor’s office.?
The discovery of the Davison Lake Road fire was made to Oakland County Sheriff deputies after Oakland County fire investigators combed the remains of a pair of suspicious house fires that occurred in less than 24 hours in a normally quiet rural township neighborhood.
At about 10 a.m.Tuesday firefighters from Brandon Fire Department were called to a house fire near Liberty Lane and Davison Lake Road about six miles northeast of Ortonville. The house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Brandon along with firefighters from Atlas, Hadley and Oxford fire departments were called in to battle the blaze. Groveland Fire Department was called to provide station back-up.
The residents were not at home at the time of the fire however, two dogs were that were in the house were killed in the blaze.
‘The home was a total loss,? said Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur adding that damages to the home totaled around $200,000. McArthur said the cause of the fire is still under investigation however it appears to have started somewhere in or near the family room.
About 24 hours later, Brandon firefighters were again called to a house fire at Liberty Lane and Davison Lake Road about 300 yards from the previous day’s fire.
Firefighters arrived while the fire was still contained to a front bedroom. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire however, two cats that were trapped in the house were rescued and treated by firefighters.
‘We found the fire contained to one bedroom,? said McArthur. ‘We were able to extinguish the fire quickly.?
The house sustained heavy smoke and water damage, however, McArthur said it is too early to estimate dollar value of the damage.
Local residents began to question the safety of their own homes as they gathered Wednesday morning to watch the second house fire in less than 24 hours.
‘We haven’t had problems around here for about two years,? said Pam Thompson, Liberty Lane resident.
‘I didn’t see anyone around the houses yesterday or today but I work at night. We’ll now keep an eye out for strangers on our rural dirt road.?