Fire Destroys Family's Home in Oakland Township

An Oakland Township family of four is now staying with family members after a fire destroyed their two-story brick home in the Wynstone subdivision near Predmore and Rochester roads late Tuesday morning.

Luckily, the family was not home at the time, and their dog, Baloo, was outside the home when the fire started.

"The babysitter was coming through the sub on her way to babysit one of our neighbors," homeowner Robert Casadei said. "She checked on our dog, which usually hangs out outside the house, and she was the one who discovered the fire."

In her witness statement, 19-year-old Elizabeth Whitehead she said she first saw what looked like mist from a sprinkler coming from behind the house, except that it "was too high to be a sprinkler."

Whitehead, also an Oakland Township resident, drove up to the house and "instantly recognized the smell of smoke." She called 911 after she noticed "small orange flames licking the corners of the window opening," according to her statement.

She then pulled Baloo away from the house and put the dog into her vehicle. Oakland County Sheriff's Deputies arrived at the house within five minutes.

All three fire departments from Oakland Township, Washington Township and Addison Township responded to the fire; Oakland Township Fire Chief Bill Benoit could not be reached for comment.

The cause of the fire "is still under investigation," said Detective Art Schrah, a fire investigator for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

"A lot of it collapsed," he continued, noting that most of the bedrooms, the family room and the great room had all been reduced to rubble. "With the collapse of the whole west side of the house, (firefighters) had to remove debris to get down to where the fires were concealed underneath."

He said the exact cause will not be determined until some time next week, though it appears the fire started in the basement. According to an Oakland County Sheriff's Office report, the first deputy to arrive at the scene did not find any obvious signs of a break-in or other suspicious activity.

"We've had all our family and friends calling us giving their support and prayers," said Casadei, who lived in the home with his wife and two young children. "We'd like to stay in Oakland Township, but right now we're just waiting to see what's going on with the insurance."

When asked if his family was accepting donations of money or clothing, he said no, adding, "I wouldn't want to burden anybody else."