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House fire injures two

Local business owner transported to downstate burn center

This is the aftermath of a structure fire that occurred Sunday morning in Ishpeming Township. Two residents were able to escape the fire and were transported to UP Health System -Marquette for further evaluation. One of the residents was identified on Facebook as Glenn’s Smokehouse owner Glenn Andrews. Andrews was air-transported to the burn center at the University of Michigan. (Photo courtesy of Amy Richards)

By DREYMA BERONJA

Journal Staff Writer

ISHPEMING –The cause of an Ishpeming Township structure fire that injured two people is under investigation by the Michigan State Police.

The Ishpeming Township Fire Department responded to a fully involved structure fire at 175 Silver St. at 3:19 a.m. Sunday.

According to a press release from the fire department, fire crews encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions upon arrival, with both floors fully engulfed.

The two residents were identified on Facebook as Glenn Andrews and Julie Steede. Andrews and Steede were both transported to UP Health System-Marquette for further evaluation. Andrews was then flown to the University of Michigan burn center, according to a Facebook post by his son, Dennis Andrews.

Dennis Andrews said Monday that his father’s condition has been assessed fully and he is being treated.

“He has 30 percent burns with third-degree burns on his hands and head and his face is burned bad,” Dennis Andrews said on Facebook. “It’s going to be a rough couple of days and it is what happens in this time that will determine recovery.”

Glenn Andrews is the owner and manager of Glenn’s Smokehouse in Ishpeming. On Sunday afternoon, employee Katherine Rogers provided an update on Facebook after the fire. Rogers said that the store was closed Monday and was set to open again today.

“Moving forward I am not sure how as a business we will work through this as Glenn is the heartbeat of Glenn’s Smokehouse,” Rogers said on Facebook. “But we will try our best to move forward as I know this would be Glenn’s wishes and we pray he will be back with us to keep doing what he loves.”

Steede’s sister, Amy Richards, said on Facebook that women’s clothing and essentials are being collected for Steede at the Paradise Bar in Ishpeming. For clothes, Richards said sizes extra large for tops, 14 or large for bottoms and size 6¢ for shoes. Women’s toiletries are also being collected.

According to a Facebook post by Morgan Korpi, Steede was able to jump out of the second-story window to escape from the fire. She was being monitored at the hospital for smoke inhalation and frostbite.

“She lost her phone and everything else in the fire,” Korpi said on Facebook.

The Ishpeming Township Fire Department was assisted by the Ishpeming City Fire Department, Marquette County Rescue, UP Health System EMS, Ishpeming Police Department, Michigan State Police and Semco Energy.

This is the third fire reported along Silver Street in recent months. One man died when the home he owned at 185 Silver St. caught fire in August. Along the same stretch of Silver Street, a small fire broke out in September.

Michigan State Police’s Lt. Mark Giannunzio said that while the MSP does not have much information, the fire marshal has been called to help determine the cause of Sunday’s fire.

“We are actively working on all three cases,” Giannunzio said. “We will find more information soon.”

Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 248. Their email address is dberonj@miningjournal.net.

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