ISHPEMING — A house was destroyed by a fire early Thursday morning, with all residents evacuating safely and one dog still missing.

The Ishpeming Township Fire Department responded to a call around 4:15 a.m., where the first unit to arrive saw flames engulfing the windows at 356 Cedar Street. The fire was under control in approximately 25 minutes.

All seven residents were able to evacuate the home safely and without injury, and one dog from the home is still missing as of now. “It burned through the roof on both ends of the house, [and] the interior first floor was gutted by fire and some fire extended to the basement,” said Ishpeming City Fire Chief Jason Annala in an email to the Mining Journal. A neighboring house, truck, and side-by-side ATV were also damaged in the fire.

Crews remained on scene for nearly three hours to extinguish the fire. The last unit left around 7:11 a.m., and no injuries were reported from the responding crews.

The Ishpeming Fire Department was assisted by the Ishpeming Township Fire Department, Marquette County Rescue 131, UP Health Systems EMS-West, the Ishpeming Police Department, Ishpeming Department of Public Works, Marquette County Central Dispatch, Semco Energy, and the Upper Peninsula Power Company.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. More information will be provided as it is made available.

Community members are gathering to help the Garver family who has been affected by the loss of their home. The family will be setting up a fund at TruNorth Federal Credit Union, located at 1419 North 2nd Street, where monetary donations can be made to the Garver Donation Account. Currently, the family is in need of the following clothing:

≤ Extra large women’s tops and bottoms

≤ Size 8 women’s underwear

≤ Size large and size three extra large men’s shorts

≤ Size 12 men’s shoes

≤ Size 8 ½ to size 9 boy’s tops and bottoms

The family is also accepting donations for toiletries such as toothbrushes and shampoo, as well as food and an extra coffee pot. Donations can be dropped off at 304 West Euclid Street, or at 113 Cleveland Avenue in the Groom Room. Milano Smokehouse Meats, located at 1040 Country Lane in Unit 2 of the Country Village, will also be accepting donations. The Rare Earth Goods Cafe will donate 20% of their Wednesday sales and can also be used as a donation collection site, located at 200 East Division Street. Gift cards for food, grocery stores, restaurants, and more can be dropped off at these locations. A monetary donation jar is also set up at White Bear Maple Products and Gifts, located at 626 Teal Lake Road.

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.