Garage fire, storm damage and ethanol plant calls part of FFD week

  The Frankenmuth Fire Department endured a busy week, with 11 alarms, a structure fire, wires down, and saying goodbye to a former fire chief.

  The first call for service, alarm No. 30 for 2025, took place at 2pm Monday, March 24, as dust activated a smoke detector at the new Bavarian Blast indoor water park, located at 1 Covered Bridge Lane. Engine 2 responded to the scene with a crew of firefighters, clearing by 2:30pm.

  At 11:42am Thursday, March 27, a local resident near the Cass River on West Tuscola Street, west of Dehmel Road, heard some hollering coming from the river. It sounded like the person was in distress.

  FFD Assistant Chief Dan Schneirla said the public safety drone was launched; however, nothing was found. FFD Chief Phil Kerns said it was likely children playing in the area. The units cleared nearly two hours later.

  At 6:11am Saturday, March 29, a local power outage in Caro (Tuscola County) caused some equipment malfunctions at the POET Bioprocessing ethanol plant, 1551 Empire Drive. The power outage brought eight fire departments to scene, including Frankenmuth’s aerial ladder truck.

  Truck 3 was used to check tall chimney temperatures and monitor those stacks, Schneirla said. A total of 15 FFD personnel reported to the station, with six taking Truck 3 to the scene. They cleared Caro after five hours on the scene. Other responding departments included Cass City, Fairgrove, Gagetown, Mayville, Reese, and Vassar.

  Later that day, at 4:12pm, a  garage fire in the 300 block of Ardussi Street brought Engine 1, Engine 2, Truck 3, and Squad 4 to the home, where visible smoke was seen coming from the eaves and vents.

  Kerns said preliminary reports indicate that some items near a wall-mounted furnace in the garage may have ignited the small blaze, although the cause remains under investigation. The garage was actually a small weightlifting and workout space with plenty of equipment in it.

  Kerns, who lives down the road on Ardussi Street, was the first on the scene with the Frankenmuth Police.

  “The homeowners did all the right things by exiting the ranch-style home, calling 911, and closing the doors,” Kerns said. . . . 

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