Update: Fire destroys Ludington home; owner gone for holiday.

Update: Fire destroys Ludington home; owner gone for holiday.

#MasonCountyNews.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — Fire destroyed the home of Sherry Wasserman, 718 E. Loomis St. early Thanksgiving morning. Ludington Fire Chief Jerry Funk said the house was fully engulfed in flames when he arrived shortly after 4:30 a.m. Wasserman had left the night before to visit her daughter in Prescott in Ogemaw County east of West Branch.

Wasserman had taken her dog with her but reported that her cat was left at the house, according to Ludington Police Sgt. Dave Maltbie. Fire Chief Funk said the cat was not found, as of 8:30 a.m.

A firefighter fell into the basement and called for a “mayday”, meaning emergency evacuation of the house. “We had him checked out on the scene and sent him home. He should be fine,” Funk said.

The fire seared the vinyl siding of the house’s unattached garage and also the neighboring house at 720 E. Loomis St.

Funk said he has not determined a cause of the fire but said that it appears to have started in the southwest portion of the house. A Michigan State Police fire marshal will inspect the scene on Monday.

Funk said that the cap on the fire hydrant at the intersection of Loomis Street and Washington Avenue had broken off when firefighters attempted to use it. However, the malfunction did not hinder firefighting efforts since there was a hydrant at Loomis and Madison streets. “We were hooking up to both hydrants anyway, so it really didn’t cause any delay in our efforts,” Funk said.

Ludington Fire Department was assisted by Pere Marquette Township Fire Department. Also on scene were Ludington Police Department, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and Life EMS ambulance.

Firefighters cleared the scene at 9:19 a.m.

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