Multiple Fires, Homes Damaged in Monday Storm; 1,500 Without Power

At least three house fires were reported Monday afternoon in Dearborn in the wake of a severe thunderstorm that .

House fires were reported on Woodcrest Drive north of Cherry Hill, Alexandrine Street west of Military and Marlboro Street between Kensington Court and Outer Drive.

First reports indicate that no one was hurt in any of the fires.

At the home on Alexandrine, neighbors stood and watched the scene unfold as Dearborn firefighters battled the blaze, which had spread through the entire house and rendered the structure unsafe for entry.

Pat Reiter, a neighbor on Alexandrine, said that the two-story home belongs to a couple who live there with their daughter, who is in her 20s. Reiter said that calls had been made to the husband, who works in Southfield, but that the whereabouts of the mother and daughter were unknown.

"Some people started seeing smoke–I think it was the people who live next door," Reiter said. "Several of us were trying to call 911 but it was hard to get through because of all the calls."

Members of the Dearborn fire and police departments did not release the cause of the fires, although it appeared that all three stemmed from damages sustained from downed trees.

But fires weren't the only problems facing Dearborn residents. Multiple homes were severely damaged by downed trees–some two- and three-stories tall–that were uprooted by the storms and hit homes head-on.

Reuben Banwart, a resident of South York near Marshall Street, was at his brother's house when the storm hit and caused a tree branch to come down on his brother's garage.

"I decided I had better come home and check things out here," Banwart said from outside of his home after the storm.

His premonition was right: the large maple that sits in front of his two-story home on York had completely uprooted and fallen on his house.

Most of the damage was sustained to the roof, but neighbors from blocks around came to take a look at the scene. A resident of Marshall said he heard the "boom" from the tree hitting from inside his home.