NORWICH TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A fire in Newaygo County killed two people who have lived there for years.
Neighbors told Fox 17 by the time they heard anything and got outside, the home was already engulfed in flames.
Neighbors reported that an 80-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman lived in the home.
Dave Brown, a neighbor to the deceased, saw the fire across the street at 5 a.m. on Jan. 18, 2022.
"If you needed anything, you could call them. More times than not, they were coming over to ask if you needed anything,"
Realizing his neighbors were trapped inside after hearing a sound similar to a loud explosion Brown did what he could.
"Ran downstairs in my underwear. I thought someone hit a pole or something because our power went out. The whole house was in flames,” Brown said “So I threw some clothes on, ran out, and called 911. But the whole house, both stories were engulfed in flames by then,"
All that's left at 2 p.m., a shell of a home.
Fast, and ferocious. Brown told Fox 17 within ten minutes, the snow didn't make a difference.
"Really, really fast. The whole exterior was all wood siding, wood paneling inside. It went up like paper. That fast,"
Big Rapids Fire Department, White Cloud Department, and Big Prairie Fire Department, all there as soon as they could.
Devastatingly it was too late to help those inside the home.
The couple's barn cat made it through. neighbors told Fox 17 they plan to take care of him so he doesn't have to leave his home.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Anyone with information about the fire should call (231) 689-7303.
