Fire destroys Free Soil house.

Fire destroys Free Soil house.

#MasonCountyNews.

UPDATED INFORMATION

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

FREE SOIL — Fire destroyed a home at 8556 N. Democrat Street in the Village of Free Soil Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters were called to the scene about 4:45 p.m. The first firefighters on scene reported the house was mostly engulfed in flames.

Free Soil/Mead Fire Chief Vince Williams said the house was owned by the Carey family and nobody was home at the time of the fire.

EMS was called to the scene to treat a firefighter who appeared to have suffered from heat exhaustion, the temperature was 87 degrees. “If there is any light in a situation like this, we can be thankful that nobody was seriously hurt,” Williams said. 

Sparks from the fire also started small grass fires near the house and in the baseball field and woods across the street. 

The cause of the fire is not yet known, Williams said, adding that it is possible, based on the fire’s pattern, that it may have started on the exterior of the home. Williams said he would be consulting the Michigan State Police fire marshal. 

Responding to the scene were Free Soil/Meade Fire Department, Fountain Area Fire Department, Grant Township Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, Scottville Fire Department, Irons/Elk Township Fire Department, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Life EMS, Free Soil/Meade Fire Department Auxiliary, and Fountain Fire Department Auxiliary.