Burn barrel causes structure fire in Houghton County

PORTAGE TOWNSHIP — On Tuesday, June 11, at approximately 4:10 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a structure fire in Portage Township at the Sheridan Place on US-41.

Through investigation, deputies discovered a fire that originated in a burn barrel, ignited a nearby wooden fence that ignited a storage shed, which then ignited a neighboring log home.

The log home was unoccupied during the incident and there were no reported injuries. The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by MTU Public Safety, Houghton City Police Department, and MSP Calumet Post.

The Hurontown Fire and Rescue was assisted by Houghton Fire Department, Hancock Fire Department, Chassell Fire Department, and Stanton Township Fire Departments R.I.T. Team, Mercy EMS and The Red Cross Disaster Services.

The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to check with the Michigan DNR’s Burn Permits Management System website prior to burning any debris.