Fire/Rescue

The Constantine Fire Department was called Tuesday to the scene of a fire at the Whispering Pines mobile home park, in the 1200 block of South Washington Street. Chief Mike Haydon said a resident called 911 around 10 p.m. after noticing smoke coming from the dryer. Moments later, flames were seen. Constantine Police Officer Steve Dibble was credited for keeping …

State Police troopers were dispatched to a rural Sturgis home late Monday afternoon for a 43-year-old suicidal man who had reportedly doused his home with lighter fluid. His 39-year-old wife reported the incident at the home, located in the 70000 block of Bauman Road, after the man sprayed lighter fluid on the floor and their 20-year-old son, then threatened to …

Three Rivers Fire Department Chief Dan Tomlinson said the department received word that its rating from the Insurance Services Office will be upgraded to a Class 4. Addressing members of the city commission earlier this week, Tomlinson said the one-step improvement means the fire-department insurance auditor noted the comprehensiveness of the department warranted the Class 4 designation. The upside for …

St. Joseph County voters could be asked in August to decide whether to renew a millage to support the county’s E-911 Central Dispatch. Meanwhile, a public hearing has been set for feedback on a proposed millage renewal for the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging. The two matters were addressed Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Regarding …

More than 1,000 pigs died over the weekend when three adjacent barns on a property near Bronson, in Branch County, were destroyed by fire. The incident was reported about 4 a.m. Saturday in the 1200 block of Kibiloski Road. Two pole barns, each measuring 40-by-120 feet, were engulfed in flames when fire personnel arrived, Branch County emergency officials said. A …

Authorities say a 64-year-old man has been killed in an early morning fire at his Kalamazoo home.  The Kalamazoo public safety department says in a news release that officers arrive at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and found the house engulfed in flames.  It was extinguished several hours later, and the man’s body was found.  No one else lived in the house. …

Fire officials from the Michigan State Police are continuing to investigate the cause of a fire Tuesday that destroyed the Trilium building, in the 26000 block of West U.S. 12. Located in unincorporated Sturgis Township, the building was fully engulfed in flames as personnel from the Tri-Township and city of Sturgis fire departments arrived shortly after 8 p.m. The fire …

Sturgis firefighters were dispatched to the James and Lorene Eldridge residence on South Lakeview Street Tuesday morning. The fire was located in a hidden attic space across the rear of the home. Heavy fire, smoke, and water damage was sustained by the entire home. Firefighters were on scene for five hours.

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has tabled a matter regarding a public hearing on a millage renewal in support of the E-911 Central Dispatch operation. Commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting agreed that further research into the agency’s long-term needs and projected expenses should be evaluated before authorizing a public hearing on the potential millage request. E911 director Jon Uribe was …

The Three Rivers Fire Department has announced that seasonal testing of the city’s weather sirens will begin at 12:05 p.m. Saturday. Chief Dan Tomlinson said the sirens will be tested the first Saturday of the month, through October. He said sirens will not be tested if severe weather is in the forecast.