Accidental structure fire leaves house with heavy damage in Manistique

MANISTIQUE — A Manistique home’s crawlspace caught on fire which ended up causing massive amounts of smoke and fire damage. 

At approximately 8:30 AM, December 11th, Manistique Public Safety and Volunteer Fire Officers were called to the report of a structure fire. The residence that had caught on fire was located at 1316N West Kendall Road in Manistique Township. The fire was accidental in nature as the occupants were attempting to thaw frozen water pipes with a propane torch. This method resulted in the igniting the insulation under the floor of the structure. 

Authorities were able to get the structure fire under control by 11:00 AM. The residence remains intact but suffered heavy damage. The residence is owned and occupied by Carol Jasmin and Robert Lockwood of Manistique. Both were able to escape the home prior to firefighters arriving on scene. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters during this incident. 

Manistique firefighters were assisted by the Thompson, Hiawatha, and Doyle Fire Departments, the Sault Tribal Police Department, and the Michigan State Police.