Woman escapes mobile home fire
A 56-year-old Clinton Township man died from smoke inhalation last weekend in a fire that destroyed his mobile home, the first of two fire incidents that resulted in fatalities in Macomb County.
The Clinton Township blaze took place about 3:25 a.m. Saturday on the 15300 block of Enchante Drive in River’s Edge mobile home park near Clinton River and Hayes roads in Clinton Township.
Fire Chief Timothy Duncan said firefighters were on the scene in five minutes and found the front of the home fully engulfed in flames. A fire crew was able to make entry to the rear of the mobile home.
“The structure was filled with smoke but firefighter Jim Wilkins was able to feel around and found the man’s ankle,” Duncan said. “Along with Lt. Mike McLaughin and Lt. Mike Trandell, they were able to pull him out.”
The victim was still alive at the point. He was placed into an ambulance and rushed to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Duncan.
Alerted by a smoke detector, the victim’s girlfriend was able to make it out of the burning structure. She was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and found to be OK.
The department is not releasing the victim’s name.
Duncan said the fire is still being investigated, but there was no signs of foul play. Investigators are working with Clinton Township police to develop video from a surveillance camera that captured some of the incident.
The incident was the first of two fire fatalities on Saturday.
Later that night, an elderly bedridden Sterling Heights woman died in a fire that also resulted in injuries to her daughter, who was acting as the woman’s caregiver. The incident took place about 9:45 p.m. when police and firefighters were dispatched to the 2400 block of Haff Drive, in the area of 19 Mile and Dequindre roads.
Clinton Township’s fire chief said there has been an “uptick” in fire fatalities over the past year.
“I was just reading an article where the state fire marshal was discussing the increase in the amount of fire deaths,” Duncan said. “It’s probably because of COVID-19 and so many people staying home so much.”