Brandon Twp.- Farmer Harold Allen had just come in from doing chores outside shortly after 8 p.m., Jan. 26, and was getting ready to have supper, when he heard a crackling noise.
He knew immediately it was a fire in the home he lived alone in on Honert Road.
Allen, 83, grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the glassed-in porch where he had been using a wood stove because his furnace wasn’t working properly.
‘I saw flashes of fire through the ceiling tiles,? says Allen. ‘I just couldn’t believe it. How could there be a fire when I hardly ever use it? I used two fire extinguishers, but I was losing ground.?
Allen, whose phone service was disabled by the fire, drove to his son’s home, nearby on State Park Road, where they called 9-1-1 at about 8:16 p.m.
Brandon firefighters arrived in five minutes to find the whole attic space engulfed in flames that had broken through the roof. In 20 minutes, the fire was under control and in 40 minutes, fully extinguished. Groveland firefighters gave mutual aid.
Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur said the cause of the fire was a cracked mortar joint in the woodstove’s 20-year-old chimney, a common cause of chimney fires. He said this crack was well-concealed and may have been difficult to find even with an inspection.
‘Crack in mortar happens from overheating,? said McArthur. ‘The cure is cleaning them. Make sure the chimney is clean and the creosote doesn’t build up.?
Allen’s home, which he has owned for 63 years and which started as a 1-room home that he built on to over the years, and raised his three children in, is a total loss. He was able to save most of the family photographs and some antiques survived. The home was insured.
Allen, who is staying with his son and is grateful for the help from his kids and good neighbors, is unsure whether he will rebuild or put a modular home on the property, but he does know one thing for sure.
‘No more woodstoves,? he said. ‘I’m getting a furnace that works.?