OXFORD VILLAGE ? A tanning unit malfunctioned and sparked a Dec. 10 electrical fire that resulted in an estimated $50,000 in damage at the Oxford Tan & Spa (112 N. Washington St.), according to Fire Chief Pete Scholz.
‘The owner came running over to the fire hall to report it,? he said.
‘I smelled it and I saw a little bit of smoke in my hallway,? said Lisa Londer, who’s owned the tanning establishment for nearly four years. ‘I went outside and there was smoke coming from the rooftop. There was no fire at that point. Just smoke. I ran straight over to the fire department.?
That was around 5:01 p.m.
Firefighters responded immediately.
When they arrived at the scene, Scholz said, ‘You could see the flames through the window.?
There were also flames shooting about 4 feet in the air through a rooftop vent.
‘Most of the flames went right up through that vent area,? Scholz said.
It didn’t take firefighters long to get a handle on the situation.
‘We were able to get in right away and knock it down,? Scholz said. The fire was declared under control at 5:22 p.m.
No one was injured. None of the tanning units were occupied at the time.
Scholz said the actual fire damage was confined to one room on the north side of the building, containing two stand-up tanning booths. The electrical system in one of these tanning units malfunctioned, according to the chief.
‘That’s what started the fire,? he said.
Scholz could not say for sure what the exact nature of the malfunction was.
Londer noted the booth was used just prior to the fire and there was no indication of any problems. ‘It was fine,? she said.
The entire building sustained smoke damage largely caused by burning plastic from the tanning unit.
During the incident, firefighters were forced to cut a large hole in the roof. ‘We had to open up the roof to make sure that it didn’t spread into the area around (the vent),? Scholz said. ‘It had started to a little bit.?
Scholz estimated the damage at about $20,000 to the structure and about $30,000 to the contents.
Oxford Tan & Spa is currently closed.
Customers in need of assistance or who have questions are asked to please call (248) 892-6830.
‘We’re going to be up and running as soon as possible,? Londer said. ‘We’ve got people working on it right now.?
‘We’re going to have a grand re-opening and we’re going to be posting updates on our Facebook page to let all of our customers know,? she added.