BRONSON, MI (WTVB) – A nearby lightning strike which led to an electrical short is being blamed for a nearly quarter million dollar Saturday night house fire in the 700 block of George Road in Branch County’s Noble Township.
The Bronson Fire Department says Firefighter Jerry Rhinehart noticed a glow from a nearby home at around 9:30 p.m.. Rhinehart drove to his neighbor’s house to find the front side of the 3,500 square foot residence engulfed in flames. He quickly contacted Branch County 911 Central Dispatch to report the fire, and then shut off the gas supply to the home.
Both the Bronson and Orland Fire Departments were called in and used approximately 7,000 gallons of water to quickly bring the blaze under control. They remained on the scene for 3 1/2 hours.
Consumers Energy responded and disconnected the electrical service.
No one was in the home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $200,000 to the structure and $40,000 to the contents.
The house was being renovated which meant it did not contain a normal number of furnishings for such a large home. Fire officials said this decreased the amount of time and water they needed to stop the blaze.
