Fire/Rescue

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the circumstances behind a fire believed to have been deliberately set last weekend in White Pigeon Township. Fire officials were called at 5:15 a.m. Saturday to an unoccupied residence in the 16000 block of Fawn River Road. It was determined that the fire was started intentionally. The fire was limited to a front porch, as crews …

A St. Joseph County community is mourning a pregnant woman and a 7-year-old boy who died in a fire that gutted a house where 11 people lived . The Kalamazoo County medical examiner’s office confirmed Friday that the victims were 35-year-old Jessica Gould and Lonnie Ray Bingaman. Caryle Hansen, who was at work at the time of the fire, said …

Multiple agencies responded to a fire Monday at Nissley Disposal and Sturgis Towing – located at the former site of Carter Lumber – just south of Sturgis. The blaze resulted in considerable damage to one of the buildings. The fire was eventually brought under control with the aid of departments from Sturgis, Tri-Township, Burr Oak, Colon and White Pigeon. No …

A fuel tanker caught fire on the U.S. 31/20 bypass in South Bend, sending flames high into the predawn sky and damaging the roadway’s pavement. Police say residents were evacuated from some nearby homes after the fire started about 4:30 a.m. Monday on the city’s far west side near South Bend International Airport. They were able to return a few …

Flowerfield Township voters approved a request to increase their millage for fire protection and ambulance services. By a tally of 170-to-112, voters agreed to support an increase of up to 1 mill for a five-year period. As a result of Tuesday’s endorsement, the request will raise more than $64,000 annually to be disbursed to Three Rivers Ambulance Service, Fabius/Park Fire …

Authorities say a fire that killed five children and their mother at a Michigan motel appears to have been an accident. The Berrien County sheriff’s office says experts found no evidence of an accelerant that would have started the deadly blaze early Saturday at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel in Sodus Township. The precise cause still is under investigation. The …

A Jones man was seriously injured Sunday morning while doing maintenance at Bair Lake Bible Camp, located just south of Jones. Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke identified the victim as 44-year-old David Stiles, who is reportedly the facilities manager at the camp. Stiles was working on a propane tank when it exploded. He was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital. Due to …

Authorities say there’s no indication of foul play in a camper fire in southern Michigan that killed two young siblings and a dog and injured a third child. The Branch County sheriff’s office says the fire started around 10:30 a.m. Monday near Bronson. Chris Gump tells WWMT-TV he was outside the camper and saw smoke. He says he went inside …

Two Marcellus residents were injured after the motorcycle they were on was involved in an accident last week in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were advised at 5 p.m. Saturday that a motorcycle went off the roadway on Dutch Settlement Road near Skyhawk Drive. The driver, 37-year-old Ryan Hampton, told authorities he was heading west and …

Two people died earlier this week in an automobile accident in Cass County’s Pokagon Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said a PT Cruiser driven by 34-year-old Mishawaka resident Lee Ann Romita Sanez was heading south on M-51 Sunday when it crossed the center line and struck a northbound Chevy Impala. It was being driven by Phillip Seitenstich, 32, of Dowagiac. David …