Goodrich — It was a cold April night that left an even colder feeling in the hearts of one local family. For the second time in two years, Ron and Linda Robertson have suffered through a fire at their Ridge Road home.
‘I feel real bad for them, they’re such nice people,? said Barb Gottschling, who lives in the house directly north of the Robertsons?. ‘We’ve lived here for four years and this is the second time their house has caught on fire.?
The Robertsons, who were not injured, were home when a fire started in their attached garage 8:30 p.m., on Tuesday, April 8.
According to neighbor Kurt Gottschling, he and wife Barb were in the basement when they became aware of the fire. ‘We were downstairs and heard a kaboom. Our cat jumped off the stool. When we got outside there were flames coming out of their garage. There was already a fireman parked in our driveway, they (the Robertsons) had already called 911,? Mr. Gottschling said.
That first ‘fireman? on the scene was actually Atlas Township Fire Chief Jim Naugler.
According to Naugler, the fire started in the garage by a propane heater that ignited gasoline fumes. Naugler said one of the Robertsons? sons, Jimmy, was in the garage working on a van when the fire started. ‘He had the heater going and then closed the garage door to get warmer,? he said. The gasoline fumes built up and were ignited by the heater’s pilot light.
The son’s hair was singed, Naugler said.
‘The house has about $100,000 worth of damage to it. The garage and kitchen are completely ruined due to smoke and heat damage,? said Naugler
The door between the kitchen and garage was open, letting flames and smoke into the home.
Fire fighters from Atlas Township with help from the Davison-Richfield Fire Department quickly extinguished the flames coming from the garage. By 9:30 p.m., while keeping the hoses trained on the garage, they were searching the home for other signs of fire and the owners? two cats. One cat was found dead, the other’s location, as of press time, was not determined.
The homeowners dog, a Cocker Spaniel named Rusty was on his chain attached to the back of the flaming garage. He was rescued by one of the Robertsons sons.
Tina Chiappelli, Linda Robertson’s sister, was on the scene soon after hearing of the fire. She said both her sister and husband were ‘ok? physically, but emotionally drawn.
The Robertsons stayed the night at a Comfort Inn hotel. The family’s home was insured, Naugler said.
The previous fire, about two years ago, was started in a bedroom resulting from an accident with a fan.
* * *
There were 16 fire fighters on hand from the two departments. Davison also supported by bringing their water tanker.
— Christianne Daily contributed to this story.