2 Dogs Rescued, But a Third Dies in Bloomfield Township House Fire

Bloomfield Township firefighters rescued two dogs from a burning home on the township's east side Thursday, but a third succumbed to the smoke and heat, officials said.

No people were hurt in the 5500 block of Village Lane. The cause remains undetermined and is under investigation by local department officials, Capt. Mike Morin said.

Firefighters responded to a call from neighbors that reported smoke coming from the home on a small cul-de-sac off of Quarton Road at 10:48 a.m., Morin said. There were flames shooting from the roof on the garage side of the home when they arrived roughly three minutes later, he said.

Crews started searching the home while the department's ladder truck was deployed to fight the flames from above. No people were inside the home at the time. Morin said he was unsure exactly where the animals were found in the house, but did say the two surviving dogs were underneath a bed when firefighters swept through the structure and were rushed outside to safety. The third dog was found much later after the department had the fire under control.

The initial investigation showed the fire likely started on the top level and traveled quickly across the length of the roughly 3,000-square-foot home once it got into the attic.

"An attic is like a lumber yard for a fire. Once it's there it's got a lot of wood to burn," Morin said.

Once the substantial flames were doused, crews from three different departments spent hours hunting for and extinguishing hot spots throughout the home. About two dozen firefighters from Bloomfield, West Bloomfield and Southfield were on the scene. Damage estimates were unavailable Thursday evening.

The homeowners were contacted and arrived at the scene to reunite with their pets, officials said. Further details about them or the animals were unavailable Thursday. The house is uninhabitable and the couple was able to find a place to stay with either friends or relatives, according to Morin.

Once firefighters determined no one was inside, they were able to move a vehicle from the garage and pulled several valuables from the home to prevent serious damage, Morin said. To operate the ladder truck hoses, firefighters had to tap the fire hydrant on the opposite side of Quarton Road near Van Ness Street, causing the two-lane road to be blocked for a few hours.

Several motorists travelling between Franklin and Inkster roads were forced to turn around and many used the large circular driveway in Mary Reem's front yard about a half block away.

"I didn't understand why there were so many cars coming through here," she said pointing to the asphalt driveway after walking outside to check out the hubbub. "I guess I can hardly blame them if they've got the road closed up there."

Morin said investigators were at the scene most of day and planned to return Friday to try to pinpoint the cause.