A fire destroyed a Sun City townhome on September 4, and its effect will probably be felt by residents of Neighborhood 8 for many months to come.
The blaze, which neighbors and witnesses reportedly said was accompanied by sounds like explosions, occurred in a six-pack cluster of townhomes in the 13400 block of Michigan Avenue, in Neighborhood 8.
“The fire at 13408 Michigan spread very fast on a windy day and involved the whole home before we got there,” said Deputy Fire Chief Al Schlick. “The flames got so hot and heavy that they melted the siding of a home across the parking lot.”
It’s suspected that a gas appliance is responsible for the 13408 Michigan Ave. house fire (top photo) and the resulting damage to the neighborhing house (above). (Photos by Tony Pratt/Sun Day)
No one was home at the time, Schlick said. One firefighter was slightly injured when struck by falling debris. The fire had gotten a good start before a passerby walking her dog saw the flames and called 911, Schick said.
At press time for this report, fire officials were still investigating the exact cause of this fire.
“We believe the fire started near a gas-powered appliance, but the investigation is continuing,” Schick said.
This incident was the first of two that occurred in the same week, within a few blocks of each other, Schlick said.
A single family home at 12954 Illinois Drive was struck by lightning in the early morning hours of September 2, he said. There were no injuries in this incident either. The home’s roof and upper structures were slightly damaged.
The Michigan Avenue fire was the subject of an extensive discussion by Sun City’s Board of Directors on September 26. According to the meeting discussion and a separate conversation with Board President Dennis O’Leary later, it was revealed that all of the residents of Neighborhood 8 will probably have to share in paying part of the cost of recovery activities.
O’Leary explained that Sun City’s legal home-ownership regulations for attached product (townhome) neighborhoods specify that residents can purchase homeowner’s insurance that covers the interior of their homes and contents only. Damage to the exterior of homes is covered by an umbrella policy for an entire neighborhood, because the homes are physically connected.
A lightning strike is the cause of the 12954 Illinois Dr. fire.
“Neighborhood residents are responsible collectively to pay the cost of the deductible of the umbrella neighborhood insurance policy, which is $15,000,” O’Leary said. “We talked to the insurance company in this incident on the 26th, and confirmed that the deductible is not covered by insurance. There are 130 residents in Neighborhood 8, and we tentatively believe that each home will be assessed a charge of about $110.00 for this incident. They may be asked to pay it off in one year at a rate of $9.00 a month.”
No details of this matter were determined on September 26, and the board will finalize a plan at its next meeting on October 24.
