Alpine Fire Chief Ron Christians was awakened at 2:02 a.m. Wednesday, June 9 by a report of an early-morning explosion and fire at a small ranch house in the Westgate area.
Christians rushed to the scene, hoping to help someone get out alive. He arrived at 2:10, two minutes after the first fire crews, but by 2:20, he knew there was no chance of a survivor.
Several neighbors had called 911 after they heard a loud booming sound. One said she was afraid a tree had fallen on a house. Another initially thought it was thunder, then saw flames coming from the house at 4603 Bekinshire Drive.
The only resident was Kenneth Scott Miller, who was renting it from his mother.
One couple ran across the street and tried to rescue him, according to Christians.
The front door was locked, so they entered the attached garage. Miller’s car was there, indicating he was home, but the inside door to the house was also locked.
"They beat on the door … the heat and flames drove them back," said Christians.
He said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the flames under control enough to get the front door open. They discovered that the floor of the first level had caved into the basement, making safe entry impossible.
At that point, Christians followed safety protocols and told his crews it would be a defensive effort only, using fire prevention efforts on the outside of the home.
"After 15 minutes of your being in that kind of intense fire, the chances of a person surviving ... are not good," he said.
Firefighters from both Alpine and Walker kept the flames from spreading to nearby homes. They also broke through the walls near the bedrooms and inserted a pike pole, in a slim hope that the resident could be located and pulled out.
Instead, Miller was apparently in the kitchen area when the floor caved in, according to Christians. He landed in a basement cluttered with debris, including a collection of mattresses.
His body was not discovered until about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, after a search and rescue team brought in a specially trained dog from Lansing.
Shortly after arriving, firefighters found a cat in a pet carrier outside near the garage. A note on the cage asked for the finder to take care of the animal.
An autopsy performed June 10 indicated that Miller had died of smoke inhalation. The case is being investigated as a suicide, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department.
This is the fourth fire in two weeks to occur within several blocks of Alpine Township.
A May 27 fire at the York Creek apartment complex destroyed a 24-unit garage building. The official cause of the blaze was listed as "undetermined."
Two other fires, on May 31, struck a York Creek apartment building at 3904 Yorkland Drive. They were attributed to two separate lightning strikes, several hours apart. Three families were moved out during repairs.
