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Juveniles
suspected of Tuesday arson in Pierre neighborhood
By Denise Perryman and
Rebecca Cruse
Capital
Journal Staff
Thursday,
December 28, 2006
A Pierre woman
was shaken by the sight of flames shooting from behind her home when she pulled
up in front of the house shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday.
She had left the home just a few minutes before to take her grandson to his
father's house. Juanita Micheel's husband and grandson remained inside the house
while she ran the errand.
When Micheel returned and saw the flames, she immediately called 911 and asked
for emergency response. Micheel then went inside the house and told her husband,
Don, and grandson, Christopher, to get dressed and get out of the house.
"My oldest grandson was so shaken, I had to take him to his dad's," said Micheel.
Don Micheel is in remission from cancer and requires a constant source of
oxygen, which was kept in the Micheel's home, causing greater danger. Inside the
home was also a feeding device that would be costly to replace.
"It was good for us to know that these things were in there. Oxygen is very
explosive," said deputy fire chief with the Pierre Fire Department Greg Baker.
Fortunately, the items in the house were safe due to the timeliness of the
emergency responders.
The fire started inside a small shed behind the garage of the Micheel home,
located at 220 S. Grant Ave. The shed and all of it's contents were a total
loss. The fire also took out the outer wall of the garage.
Fire officials estimated $5,000 in total damage to the home. Additional heat
damage was caused to the outside of a garage on the adjoining property.
The main part of the family home was not damaged, although some smoke was
detected in the kitchen. Micheel re-entered the home with firefighters and
removed a few personal belongings.
Baker said the home was safe, but the Micheel's decided to stay the night
elsewhere anyway.
Wednesday Pierre police were investigating the fire as an arson and questioned
an undisclosed number of juveniles in the incident, according to Elton Blemaster,
assistant police chief.
Fire Chief Bill Alexander said the source of the fire was certainly incendiary
because there was no electrical power running to the shed and no lightning or
other possible causes.
"All other causes have been eliminated," Alexander said.
Police are also searching for a motorist who illegally ran over a working fire
hose as firefighters were battling the blaze. According to Alexander, a vehicle
drove over the hose, which was stretched across a street, and the driver was
told by a firefighter that her actions were illegal and she should wait until
the hose was moved before continuing. The driver then drove over the fire hose a
second time, said Alexander.
"It is illegal to drive across a fire hose, and if caught, that person will be
fined," Alexander added.
Story
by: Denise Perryman and Rebecca Cruse
Capital Journal, Pierre, SD
www.capitaljournal.com
For more information about the
Pierre Fire
Department, e-mail the PFD
webmaster.
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