NOVI, MI — Fire extensively damaged a Fordway Street home in Novi early Tuesday morning after a possible lightning strike. A family of four escaped injury after discovering the fire, which officials believe started in the roof of the home. The home is in the Dunbarton Pines Subdivision and sits just east of Taft Road south of Ten Mile Road.
Firefighters were dispatched to the home at 4:56 a.m. and found it engulfed in flames, said Novi Director of EMS and Fire Operations Jeff Johnson. A total of eight fire apparatus, including three engines and an aerial truck were used to battle the fire. Firefighters from the city of Northville assisted Novi.
The homeowner reported the fire, Johnson said. Several members of the family were awakened by a loud thunderstorm and the homeowner investigated after he smelled smoke. He spotted the fire after stepping outside.
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“They did have smoke alarms,” Johnson said, “but because the fire was in the roof, the fire alarms were never activated. It’s fortunate that everyone got out safely.”
The fire is under investigation. An exact cause hasn’t been determined, but Johnson said, “I can’t rule out that they had a lightning strike. Every indication is that the fire started in the roof of the home.”
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The family includes an eight-year-old girl and an infant boy. Johnson said the family had no pets. He estimated damages to the home to be in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Firefighters arrived on scene seven minutes after the homeowner called, said Johnson. He said the fire spread quickly and firefighters attacked it both vertically and from the ground.
“We had to put a lot of water on it,” Johnson said. He added that firefighters were mindful of the residents possessions and got as much as they could out. Most importantly, everyone made it out of the home safely.
“It’s still a tragic loss for the family,” Johnson commented. He said the family has relatives in the area and will be staying with them.
No firefighters were injured fighting the blaze. But Johnson said one was treated on-site for exhaustion.
Novi firefighters cleared the site at about 10:15 a.m. The home appeared vacant Tuesday afternoon and a few first-floor windows had been boarded closed.
Photos by Scott Daniel (Patch Staff)
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