Neighbors save Roseville man, 85, from fire

ROSEVILLE — A Roseville man escaped a house fire without injuries Aug. 30 after his neighbors alerted him to the fire.

Just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, Roseville firefighters responded to a home in the 19000 block of Masonic Boulevard, west of Gratiot Avenue, for a report of a downed wire lying on a house causing smoke, Roseville Fire Chief Keith Jacobs said.

The resident of the home, an 85-year-old Roseville man, was alerted to the smoke by several neighbors and was evacuated from the home through a rear door, Jacobs said.

When firefighters arrived, they found the wire causing smoke lying on the building; however, they couldn’t begin attacking the fire until the line was shut off by DTE Energy. 

“We were held off on being able to do our attack until DTE was able to disconnect the wire,” Jacobs said. “There was a delay … on de-energizing the line.”

Dana Blankenship, a media strategist for DTE Energy, declined to comment on the delay.

The home is a total loss, Jacobs said. One firefighter was checked out due to the heat of the fire but was cleared and has returned to work, he said.

Roseville fire was assisted at the scene by the St. Clair Shores Fire Department. The incident remains under investigation, Jacobs said.

Blankenship said DTE Energy is working with the Fire Department.

“We were alerted by authorities yesterday that there was a house fire in Roseville and we are working with them on the investigation into what caused the fire,” she said.

The siding on a garage to the west of the house reportedly was damaged by the fire. A garage to the east was also damaged by a downed live wire, which ignited the building, but Jacobs said Roseville firefighters were able to react quickly enough once the power was disconnected to save the building. However, Jacobs said he didn’t know the extent of the damage inside the garage.

Contact Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637 or bwells@candgnews.com.