Fire/Rescue

A Cassopolis man died Wednesday afternoon in a crash in Cass County’s Mason Township. The victim was identified as 72-year-old Wayne Owen. He was reportedly northbound on Cassopolis Road when his vehicle left the road and struck a tree. According to Owen’s family, he had a history of heart related illness. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several vehicles and a house were destroyed by a grass fire that spread out of control Sunday. Constantine firefighters were called at 1 p.m. to the 62000 block of Youngs Prairie Road in Constantine Township for a grass fire. First-arriving personnel found the fire had spread across the property. In all, about 12 vehicles were burned in addition to the …

A Coldwater family escaped serious injury late Sunday afternoon after its SUV was struck at the intersection of U.S. 12 and Big Hill Road. Michigan State Police troopers said a vehicle driven by a 25-year-old Sturgis woman was southbound on Big Hill Road when she failed to yield and struck the SUV, which was eastbound on U.S.12. The force of …

Further details regarding a car/semi accident in the Three Rivers area this week are expected to be released any day by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred at 5:17 a.m. Tuesday at U.S. 131 and Broadway Street in Lockport Township. In a preliminary report, deputies said a car driven eastbound on Broadway failed to stop at a …

A fire Monday afternoon destroyed a garage, its contents and heavily damaged a home in the 300 block of Florence Street in Constantine. Fire personnel were called to the home just before 6 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the garage completely engulfed in flames, which were spreading through the home and endangering nearby residences. Crews were able to contain the …

A 20-year-old Constantine man escaped injury last week after the vehicle he was driving went off the roadway and struck a tree in Sherman Township. Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff Department were dispatched at 5 p.m. Wednesday to Balk Road, where they found Jason Gagliardo. He told police he was traveling north on Balk Road when he swerved …

A rural Burr Oak man died in a house fire Thursday evening on Middle Colon Road. The victim was identified as 45-year-old Terry Shears. Shears was found near a bedroom. A passerby reported the fire as flames were visible at the rear of the home. The preliminary cause of the blaze was careless smoking.

A fire that destroyed two barns in Kalamazoo County has left five young goats dead. Crews responded about 10 p.m. on Thursday to the fire near Schoolcraft and found smoke and flames spreading from one barn to the other one. No injuries to people were reported. The five goats that were housed in the barn died in the fire. The cause …

A truck driven by Robert Gonser III, 21, of Constantine, hit another truck Wednesday night last week on Covered Bridge Road. St. Joseph County Sheriff ’s deputies arrived at the scene and found Gonser’s truck to have substantial front-end damage, resulting after the truck traveled through the curve too quickly. The air bag was deployment and Gonser was wearing a …

A church in Sturgis sustained fire-related damage last week. Sturgis firefighters arrived shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday at Potter House Church, 210 E. Congress St., and found smoke coming from near the chimney on the west side of the building. Crew members entered the attic area and found flames in an outer wall and attic space near the pastoral office. …