Vacant House Burns Quickly to Ground in Pontiac (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 25, 2016)
Pontiac, MI – Around 1:30 pm June 25 Waterford Fire Department firefighters were called to a fire on Mechanic Street in Pontiac.  Neighbors from all sides of the property said they heard an explosion and saw the house go quickly up in flames.
Neighbors shared varied tales about the history of the home: a rumor that a woman had been in there deceased with over forty cats for over a month and a half, a rumor that a man had bought the house to restore then found out it was too full of mold to be saved, a rumor that the city had cleaned it out and was preparing to demolish it, a rumor that a man went in one day and came out with a 5 gallon bucket full of needles.  None of those things were verifiable at the time of publication, however they show the kind of talk people make when watching such things.  Several neighbors met each other for the first time as they rooted for the firefighters who so quickly came and doused the roaring flames.
From a fully engulfed house with the trees around it burning, to a pile of smoldering rubble was a span of less than ten minutes. The crew pulled up and immediately began spraying water on the neighbor’s houses and trees to keep the fire contained to the home, then showered the wooden structure with jets of water until the fire was done.
It is unknown at this time what the cause of the fire was.
Note:  More photos will be added shortly.