Fire destroys home; owner, dog unhurt

At least six fire departments aided the Eleva Fire Department Saturday to extinguish a fire that destroyed a home and garage at 49044 Highway 93 south of Eleva.

The home’s owner, Josh Potter, and his dog escaped without injury in a fire Eleva Fire Chief Ben Aione said was likely caused by a pellet stove.

Responding fire departments included those from Independence, Strum, Whitehall, Pigeon, Osseo, Hale and some townships. Eleva First Responders were also on the scene.

Aione said that by the time firefighters arrived just after 9 a.m., the house, a garage and a truck were already burning and firefighters concentrated on dousing the fire from the outside. 

When he arrived at the scene, Aione said he assessed what were the risks and rewards of combating the fire, and decided not much of the structure or its contents could be saved. Aggravating efforts was a strong wind.

“We knew the owner and animals were out, and it appeared that we were already past the point of saving personal possessions,” Aione said. “It didn’t feel safe to send firefighters in. You can replace possessions but not a dead firefighter.”

He said firefighters were able to keep a propane tank safe from the flames.

Aione, who has been chief for 10 years and a member of the fire department for 22, said over his tenure he has seen several more house fires from pellet stoves than wood stoves. He speculated that some pellet stove owners may not know how to properly maintain the devices.