This mobile home in Cedar Springs Mobile Estates was destroyed by fire on Friday, March 25.

A mobile home fire broke out on Linda Street in Cedar Springs Mobile Estates shortly after 10:30 a.m., on Friday, March 25. Post photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

Two families lost their home last Friday, March 25, when a fire broke out shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Linda Street in Cedar Springs Mobile Estates.

According to Cedar Springs Fire Chief Marty Fraser, the Cedar Springs Fire Department was on scene within seven minutes of getting the call, and it took 20 to 30 minutes to knock it down.

He said the fire started in a bedroom, though the cause is undetermined.

Two adults and two children were home at the time of the fire, and everyone got out safely. A 21-month-old reportedly had some minor burns to the chest and index finger, and was treated at the scene.

The home is reported to be a total loss.

This home was a total loss. Photo by J. Reed.

Photo by J. Reed.

By J. Reed

A Cedar Springs family made it to safety early Tuesday when their mobile home caught fire on the coldest night of the year.

According to Cedar Springs Fire Chief Marty Fraser, the call came in at 2:11 a.m., on January 5, for a home at 365 Sarah Street, in Cedar Springs Mobile Estates. Fraser said that the homeowner got up during the night and saw smoke, and was able to get his wife and dog out.

Fraser said that the fire started in the hot water heater/furnace room area, but they do not yet know the cause. He said the fire was mostly contained to the room of origin, but some flames, smoke, and heat escaped to other areas. He said that due to the age of the home, it was probably a total loss. “There was some structural damage,” he explained. He added that the home was insured.

The fire did not reach a cargo van parked in the driveway, nor a shed that was next to the home.

The home did have two operating smoke detectors, which Fraser said were going off when they arrived on scene. “Unfortunately some flames that spread across the ceiling melted them,” he said.

The Sand Lake Fire Department assisted Cedar Springs at the scene.

Fraser said that it took about 20 minutes to get the fire knocked down, and a total of 2-1/2 hours before they cleared the scene. “The cold temperatures factored into the cleanup,” said Fraser, who explained that hoses stuck to the ground, and one was impossible to fold. “The cold also takes its toll on the firefighters,” he said. Temperatures dipped to about 10 degrees overnight.

Fraser said that the couple has family in the park that they are now staying with.

The fire is still under investigation.

A Solon Township family is homeless for the holidays after a fire destroyed their mobile home Wednesday morning.

According to Solon Fire Chief Jeff Drake, he received a call at the fire station at 9:39 a.m. from a neighbor reporting the fire at 2280 18 Mile Rd, which is west of Algoma. Drake was on scene within minutes but the mobile home was already gone.

According to Kent County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Guernsey, the neighbor said she heard what she thought was several gunshots and didn’t think much of it, but then she looked out the window and saw the mobile home in flames.

The Cedar Springs Fire Department supplied their engine and manpower at the scene to put out the fire.

A couple and two children lived in the home, along with several pets. Drake said that the family had left at 6:30 a.m. and so was not at home at the time of the fire. The cats were believed to be outside, but it is unknown whether the dog was in the home at the time.

Drake said the cause of the fire could not be determined. The family, who was renting the home, was uninsured. The home was a total loss. It is estimated the family lost $5,000 in contents. The assessed value of the home by the Township was $27,000.

Drake said the family is staying with other family members.

For those who would like to help the family financially, we’ve been told that an account has been set up for them at Choice One Bank in Cedar Springs. If you have donations of clothing or other items, contact Vonda Hendges at (616) 293-8282. The girls are 5 and 8 years old, and wear sizes 5 and 8. Also needed are women’s 6/7 in pants and medium in tops; and men’s 32-32 pants and medium shirts.

Tasha Fisher

The fire was already out when the Cedar Springs Fire Department responded to the scene at 13360 Darcy Circle. It turned out that the fire was intentionally set.

A Cedar Springs woman was arrested over the weekend for the arson of mobile home fire early last week.
The Cedar Springs Fire Department responded to the scene of a mobile home fire on Monday September 12, about 3:05 p.m., at 13360 Darcy Circle, in Northland Estates Mobile Home Park, near Northland Drive and 16 Mile Road.
Cedar Springs police officer Sgt. Ed Good investigated and learned that a maintenance worker for the mobile home park noticed smoke coming from inside the home and extinguished the fire with a power washer before the fire department arrived. The fire was contained to a small area of one room, within the mobile home.
The fire investigation indicated that the cause of fire and location within the mobile home appeared suspicious.  The scene was secured and an arson investigator, Sgt. Stormzand, with the Michigan State Police, assisted. His initial findings indicated a liquid accelerant was involved.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of Tasha Anika-Juanita Fisher, 25, of Cedar Springs, who had recently been evicted from the home through a court action. She was arrested on Sunday, September 18, and arraigned in 63rd District Court for arson of a dwelling, a 20-year felony. She received a $4,000 cash/surety bond and her preliminary exam was set for September 29 at 2:15 p.m.

Brent Robert Koelsch has been charged with arson and home invasion for setting fire to a mobile home in Cedar Springs last year.

A former Cannon Township resident has been charged with setting the fire that destroyed a mobile home at Cedar Springs Mobile Estates last summer.

According to Cedar Springs Police Chief Roger Parent, the fire broke out about midnight June 26, 2010, at 368 Allan Street. Witnesses said a man arrived at the mobile home just before midnight, reportedly yelling and kicking in the door. Soon after, the man exited the mobile home and fled. Witnesses saw flames shortly after and called the fire department.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

The 14 X 70 1992 Patriot mobile home was a total loss.  State Police Fire Investigator Gregory J. Stormzand assisted Cedar Springs PD with the fire investigation, and confirmed it was arson.

Upon investigation, police found that the owner, a 38-year-old Cedar Springs man, had a brief encounter with a person earlier in the night, who he felt had broken into his home and started the fire. After reviewing evidence, the prosecutor issued a two-count warrant for Brent Robert Koelisch, 40, of Cannon Township. Investigators were told he left the state within days of the fire.

On Tuesday, August 30, the Cedar Springs Police were notified that Koelisch had been picked up on a traffic stop by the Ottawa County Sheriff Department and was being held in the Ottawa County jail on the two warrants.

Koelish was transferred to the Kent County Jail and arraigned on Wednesday, August 31 in 63^rd District Court on one count of arson of a dwelling, and one count of home invasion. He was given a $50,000 cash/surety bond. He posted bond and was released pending a preliminary exam on September 12 at 10 a.m.

This home was destroyed by fire last Friday morning.

A mobile home fire last Friday left a Newaygo County family homeless.
Both the Sand Lake and Cedar Springs Fire departments responded to the fire in the 14000 block of Beech Street, just north of 22 Mile Road, about 4:30 a.m. December 20.
According to Sand Lake Fire Chief Ed Holtzlander, the fire started in a room attached to the single-wide home that housed a woodburner. “The homeowner said it was smoking where the chimney went through the roof,” noted the Chief. “That’s where it was burning, and that’s where most of the damage was done, in the two rooms attached at the rear of the home,” he said.
He explained that the family was trying to curb their propane bill by using the woodburner. “A lot of people do it,” he said.
Homeowners Bruce and Rebecca Fisk, and their two children, Casey and Wyatt, made it out safely, but the home was a complete loss. “Between the smoke and heat damage it was totally destroyed,” said Holtzlander.
The home was not insured.
The family is currently living in a transition home and will soon need to look for an alternate place to live. If anyone would like to help the family, please contact the Springs Church at 696-2970.