Firefighters battle early morning blaze in township subdivision

No one was injured in an early morning fire in Tecumseh Township on Sunday, Feb. 2, which resulted in a major loss for homeowners Jeff and Joanne Kuhman, who were in Florida at the time their residence at 8905 Hawthorne Boulevard became engulfed in flames.Tecumseh Fire Department responded to the scene after a call was received at 1:36 a.m. from an unidentified Milwaukee Road resident who was driving home and spotted the fire. The bedroom area on the north end of the tri-level house was in flames when firefighters arrived, according to Tecumseh Fire Chief Joe Tuckey. “It was a tough one. The roof had already collapsed over the bedrooms and the fire was in the walls, but the type of construction with vaulted ceilings helped keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the house,” Tuckey said.Crews battled the fire from outside and inside the home, where access was made through the front door. Heavy smoke and heat damage were prevalent throughout, according to Tuckey.Investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing with one of the bedrooms as the suspect origin of the fire. Fire investigator with the Michigan State Police, Todd Telletier, was at the scene Monday.The fire department estimates the loss at $120,000 for building and contents. The local emergency services department was assisted by Ridgeway Township, Sand Lake, Clinton and Raisin Township fire departments. In addition, Madison Township Fire Department responded with the county air truck to fill air bottles for fire fighters.Most units left the scene by 6:15 a.m. with a fire watch crew remaining until 9 a.m.