Carp Lake, MI – An explosion and subsequent fire destroyed a seasonally used building in northern Emmet County today, Wednesday.
The incident was reported around 11:40 a.m. in the area of 7701 Paradise Trail when several residents in the area called 911 to report the sound of an explosion nearby and then later black smoke rising from the woods nearby.
The structure involved was located at the end of a private drive that runs north off Paradise Trail near that area.
Carp Lake Township Fire Chief Dave Duncan said the structure, which was a pole building that had some make-shift sleeping space in it, was already knocked down and on fire when the first fire crews arrived on the scene.
He said the building is used seasonally and had several types of vehicles housed in it.
He said no one was in the structure at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported related to the explosion.
Duncan said he suspects that the explosion may have been caused by a propane leak of some sort.
Around 12:45 p.m. the only fire still burning was coming from a propane tank behind the building where the structure formally stood.
The force of the explosion scattered building debris for several hundred feet in all directions.
Fire crews were still on the scene as of 1:10 p.m.
Carp Lake Township firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Mackinaw City Fire Department and the Inverness Township Fire Department.