Early morning fire near Chelsea hits two homes, displaces woman

Chelsea Area Fire Chief Jim Payeur said firefighters were dispatched shortly after 2 a.m. to the 700 block of Island Lake Pointe Road in Lyndon Township after the woman, who owned both homes, call 9-1-1. Payeur said the woman woke up and heard a hissing noise like leaking gas. Payeur said the fire originated in the single-story home and spread through a gas line to the woman’s home, where she lived.

There were no injuries in the blaze and firefighters left the scene at about 7:30 a.m., Payeur said. Much of the delay in extinguishing the fire came when firefighters had to wait four hours for a crew from DTE Energy to come to the home and shut off the gas, he said.

“An area (of the home) was allowed to burn because we had to wait until DTE could send a crew,” he said.

The home that burnt was mainly used for storage while the woman used the other home as her residence, Payeur said.

The American Red Cross also responded to the fire and is assisting the woman with food and lodging, according to a statement.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Payeur said.

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