A fire in Scio Township led to the death of a family dog

A family pet was found dead inside a township home, the Scio Township Fire Department said after responding to a report of a fire on the morning of November 27.

Scio Township Fire Chief Andrew Houde told the Sun Times News the department “received a call for a fire in a laundry room that was reported as extinguished when the homeowner discovered it around 6:30 this morning.”

The home is located in the 3000 block of Daleview Drive.

Houde said one of the homeowners opened the door to the laundry room that morning and found that there had been a fire in the room, but that it was now out. Houde said the home was occupied by the family and they apparently went to bed as usual on the night of the 26th. However, no smoke alarms went off to alert them to the fire. Houde said there were none in the laundry room or the adjacent rooms, “so they were not alerted to the fire until they discovered it in the morning.”

Houde said the family was not injured in the fire, “however they did lose a pet in the fire, there was a dog in the room overnight and it was found deceased when they discovered the fire.”

Scio Township, assisted by the Dexter Area Fire Department, responded to the call and confirmed the fire was out and that it had not extended into the walls or ceiling.

Houde said the township fire investigator was called to the scene to determine what happened. He said the cause of the fire has been narrowed down to a charger for a battery-operated vacuum cleaner or the outlet it was plugged into. He said they are continuing to work to narrow it down to exactly what started the fire and why.