By David Fleet
Editor
Ortonville-At 7:58 p.m., Nov. 27, Brandon firefighters respond to a village structure fire near James Street.
When firefighters arrived the detached two and a half car garage was fully engulfed in flames.
Brandon Fire Chief Dave Kwapis said sparks from welding in the structure was suspected as cause.

“The resident had just finished working in the garage,” said Kwapis. “He went in his nearby home and about 10 minutes later the garage was in flames. The wind did fan the flames, however, a home about 20 feet away from the blaze was not damaged thanks to the efforts of our firefighters.”
Inside the garage were LP tanks, gas cans, cleaning products along with a variety of flammable liquids, added Kwapis.
About 20 Brandon firefighters arrived to fight the fire along with mutual aid from Atlas and Groveland townships, plus an engine from Independence Township. In addition, Oxford Township Fire Department covered Advance Life Support service for Brandon.
“The support from our firefighters and the mutual aid response was outstanding,” added Kwapis. “A special thanks to the Village Pub for the donation of sliders for the firefighters. They were delicious.”
There were no injuries and the structure was a total loss. The scene was cleared by 10 p.m.