A 61-year-old Arbroak woman said she had an argument with her husband shortly before she woke up from a nap to find the room in flames.
The Orion Township Fire Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department responded to the fire at about 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 15. According to an OCSD report, the fire started in what the woman said was the dining room, but what Orion Assistant Fire Chief Bob Smith said was more of the living area.
‘There was limited damage to the living room area,? he said. ‘We got a fire alarm from an outside agency alerting us to a fire at that residence, and then the homeowner called 911 shortly after.?
According to the OCSD report, no flames were visible outside the home, only smoke. The woman was the only person at home at the time of the fire, except for a dog which was later recovered outside behind the house.
Orion Fire Chief Jeff Key, after learning of the argument, requested a fire investigator from the OCSD.
The woman told police she was recently having marital trouble, and that she and her husband had been arguing earlier that evening. During the argument, she said she became upset, and threw a book into their natural-gas burning fireplace.
The book caught fire and was extinguished by her husband. She said this happened at about midnight. She said she believe the fire was out, and she had turned off the fireplace and then her husband left.
The woman told the OCSD that she had then laid down on the sofa and fell asleep. She awoke to the room on fire and called 911. She then got her coat and was able to get outside.
The woman was treated for smoke inhalation and was transported to Crittenton Hospital in Rochester by a relative. She told the OCSD that she had been stressed lately and was getting counseling. She said after an argument, her husband would often go to his place of business.
The OCSD attempted to contact him there, and on his cell phone, but got no answer.
‘At this point and time, we’re not calling the fire suspicious,? said Smith, who added that he had not yet seen a final report from the fire investigator as to a cause.
‘When we got there, we knocked (the fire) down real quick,? he said.