A fire at Sand Lake Foods was quickly extinguished last weekend. Post photo by B. Fitzgerald.

A potential disaster in the downtown business district of Sand Lake was averted last weekend due to an observant customer.
According to Sand Lake Fire Chief Ed Holtzlander, a customer was leaving Sand Lake Foods, 59 W. Lake Street, in Sand Lake, when he thought he smelled smoke. He looked up, and saw some smoke and flame coming from the roof, and ran back in and told the person working, and they grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran back out to try to extinguish the fire.
When Sand Lake Fire arrived a few short minutes later, there were still some flames between the roof and overhang that were quickly extinguished. Cedar Springs Fire had been called to assist, but were sent back home since the fire was out. Holtzlander said they were called as a precaution. “With all the buildings attached the way they are, it could have been a lot worse,” he remarked.
Holtzlander said the fire was probably electrical, and started in some of the lighting over the porch. “A bird may have shorted it out,” he said.