On Monday, the Presque Isle Township Fire Department, East Grand Lake Fire Department, and Alpena Township Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a residence on Evergreen Drive with a single resident, called in by a citizen who saw large amounts of smoke in the area.

The structure was fully involved by the time crews got to the area and the victim had exited the residence. PITFD firefighters and medical personnel found the victim with a neighbor and immediately began care and transport, with advanced life support assistance from Alpena City Fire Department paramedics while en route.

The patient was taken to MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena with serious injuries.

Fire crews battled icy conditions and deep snow which impeded access to the home, making close access by a fire engine impossible. The residence was fully engulfed upon arrival and firefighters worked to secure access and water supply, driving one engine down as far as it could go and pumping water from there. Ultimately crews laid out fire hose down an approximately a quarter of a mile driveway to reach the residence and utilized tankers to shuttle water to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.