Fire erupted at Oxford Oaks condominiums off Seymour Lake Road shortly before 6 p.m. June 9, completely destroying an attached garage and causing various degrees of damage to four adjacent condo units.
The condo, located at 600 Oxford Oaks Court, is owned by Oxford Township Deputy Clerk Beverly Johnson, who was not home when the fire started.
Johnson’s daughter and a friend were inside the condo’s basement when the blaze began, but fortunately the two managed to escape unharmed along with the owner’s dog.
Thick black smoke filled the sky as Oxford firefighters began arriving on scene within three minutes of being dispatched at 5:50 p.m. Thirteen people called the Oxford Village dispatch center to report the fire.
According to Fire Chief Jack LeRoy, his crew had the blaze knocked down ? meaning the bulk of the flames extinguished ? within 15 minutes.
‘It was a good stop,? he said. ‘Good save.?
The fire was officially declared under control at 5:44 p.m. because LeRoy said he wanted to be certain it wasn’t spreading through the condo walls and attic.
Oakland County Sheriff Fire/Arson Investigator Art Schrah reported that, based on visual inspection of the scene, it was his opinion ‘the fire originated at or above ceiling level near the garage door opener. The opener could not be eliminated or confirmed as the heat source.?
‘However, the fire is believed to be accidental in nature,? Schrah concluded.
LeRoy said Johnson told him the lightbulb inside her garage door opener had been frequently burning out.
The fire completely destroyed the garage and moved into the adjacent north wall of Johnson’s condo. Fortunately, firefighters were able to stop it from spreading to the rest of the unit and neighboring units.
LeRoy estimated the blaze caused $252,603 in damage to structure and contents.
As for the three adjacent condo units to the east, the one next door received a lot of smoke damage, along with physical damage to its attached garage when firefighters had to open up the wall adjacent to the burning garage to make sure the fire hadn’t spread.
The remaining two condos in the building experienced ‘traces? of smoke damage, nothing serious, LeRoy said.
Heat from the blaze warped approximately 35 to 40 feet of vinyl siding along three of the four units in the building, the chief noted.
LeRoy wished to express his gratitude to all the people who brought firefighters water to keep them hydrated as they battled the fire and unusually hot weather.