HOLLAND TWP., MI (WHTC) – A 69-year-old Holland Township man was hospitalized after a fall while attempting to prevent a fire from a neighbor’s house from spreading to his home yesterday evening.
According to Township Fire Chief Jim Kohsel, crews from all three of his department’s stations were dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of Howard Avenue around 5 PM. It appeared that materials in a garage caught fire, with the flames spreading to the front porch, and much of the dwelling sustained smoke and heat damage before the fire was brought under control.
During the incident, neighbor Dan Chaffee attempted to climb a ladder to hose down the roof of his home but fell, suffering apparent head injuries. He was taken first to Holland Hospital and then transported to Spectrum-Butterworth Hospital for treatment. The residents inside of the burned house were able to escape safely, and no responding firefighters were hurt.
A cost estimate of the damage sustained in the blaze wasn’t immediately determined as the incident remains under investigation.
