Fire ravages Houlton home

A homemade log house that symbolized some 16 years of work went up in flames last Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters from four communities responded to the blaze at about 3 p.m. at the Michael Johnson residence on 130 County Road E, just east of the Houlton Elementary School in St. Joseph Township.

Fire departments from St. Joseph, Hudson, Stillwater and Somerset were called to the scene. The initial call went to the St. Joseph Department at about 3 p.m.

Homeowner Mike Johnson, 49, president of Scientific Molding Corporation of Somerset, built the house himself over the last decade and one-half, according to a spokesperson at SMC.

St. Joseph Fire Chief Ron Burton said the call came in just after 3 p.m. and that his crew was on the scene until about 11 p.m.

"There was extensive damage to the home," Burton said.

Somerset Fire Chief Dan Dickson said the fire departments were able to save part of the house.

Dickson said that the reason the fire was so hard to put out was the structure had a one-piece metal roof, which helped contain the fire inside the house.

"We had to call the ladder truck from Hudson to take the roof off," Dickson said.

The home was Johnson's labor of love according to an employee at SMC who said he had brought the logs and stones for the fireplace down from his father's property near Webster.

The employee said Johnson had been working on the house for 16 years, and the upstairs portion of the residence was finished about three years ago.

Dickson said Monday the cause of the fire was unknown but was not suspicious. "All the doors were locked," he said.

Burtons aid the state fire investigator had not gotten back to him as of Monday afternoon.

"I didn't see anything that look suspicious," Burton said.

Fire engulfed the home when the first trucks arrived. The St. Joseph Fire Department was called back Thursday morning when fire rekindled in the basement of the structure.