June 20, 2009, Canton, MI - June 20 was a busy day for the Fire Department as firefighters participated in the annual Liberty Fest along with handling their regular duties.

Liberty Fest- Department apparatus was present in the parade Saturday morning along with the firefighter of the year and the department’s popular clown team. Ryan Berger, a 2nd grader from Dodson elementary, and Natasha Pietruschka, a 5th grader from Tonda elementary, earned a ride on the fire trucks in the parade as they were the first place winners of last years fire prevention poster contest.

Firefighters went on to staff a static display of fire equipment at the Liberty Fest along with the Home Depot sponsored fire prevention tent. The Fire Prevention personnel at the tent provided several handouts on fire safety as well as answering resident’s fire safety questions.

Department paramedics were also on hand at the first aid tent. A few of the festivalgoers required minor assistance but fortunately there were no serious EMS incidents reported.

Firefighters remained at the festival to ensure safety during the fireworks. While the show was spectacular it was uneventful from our perspective.

Emergency incidents - The department responded to 20 calls for service on Saturday, 16 ems and 4 fire calls. As the on duty staff was depleted firefighters working at the Liberty Fest were utilized to augment emergency responses.

Mobile Home Fire - At 5:17 p.m. the fire department received a report of a mobile home fire at 51074 Mott. When fire crews arrived there were flames visible from home. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

All of the occupants were able to exit the home safely including the two family dogs. However several exotic pets (birds and snakes) did perish in the fire.

There were no other reported injuries. The home sustained significant damage and is believed to be a total loss. The Red Cross responded to the fire scene to assist the family.

The department’s fire investigation team is currently working to determine the cause of the fire.

During this incident mutual aid was requested from the City of Wayne Fire Department for an unrelated EMS call. 

Boat Fire - A homeowner was preparing his boat for the summer season when a fuel leak caused a fire. Firefighters responded and extinguished the fire.

The boat sustained significant damage and there was also some damage to the home. It is important to note that the homeowner was able to move the boat away from the house minimizing the damage to the home.

As stated this was an accidental fire and there were no reported injuries.

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