Ishpeming home damaged by apparent electrical fire

An apparent electrical fire caused extensive damage to a home in Ishpeming Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters from the Ishpeming Volunteer Fire Department say they were called to the scene at 655 Park Street just after 2:00 p.m. Upon arrival, crews found flames coming from the roof of the house. Firefighters battled the blaze in the home’s attic and third floor bedroom walls. The roof, attic, and third floor bedroom of the home were extensively damaged, and water damage affected the first and second floors.

Homeowner Renelle Meiers Halverson, Joel Halverson, and their 16–year–old daughter were at home when the fire broke out. The daughter had alerted her parents to a buzzing sound in the third floor bedroom. Mr. Halverson found fire within the wall while trying to find the source of the buzzing. He was unable to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher, and upon finding the attic engulfed in flames, he left the house. Mr. Halverson was treated on the scene by Bell Memorial EMS and sought his own treatment for smoke inhalation at Bell Memorial Hospital.

Firefighters say the preliminary investigation led them to believe the fire was electrical in nature and was not considered suspicious.

The American Red Cross was on the scene to provide assistance to the family, and the Marquette County Pigs and Heat Fund will also be providing further assistance. The Ishpeming Volunteer Fire Department was assisted at the scene by Marquette County Rescue 131, Bell Memorial EMS, and the Ishpeming City Police.