Pallets N More destroyed in historic Goodland Twp. blaze
By Dave Fredrick
The Yale Expositor
GOODLAND TWP. — A major structure fire erupted late Thursday afternoon, bringing a massive response of 27 fire departments to the 7400 block of Shaw Road in Goodland Township, just north of Imlay City.
Included in the response with water tenders were Berlin Township and Mussey Township. Within minutes of the call, fire officials reported several buildings at the wood pallet business known as Pallets N More, were fully engulfed in flames. Heavy thick smoke could be seen for miles, in multiple counties as far away as the Flint area, metro Detroit and in the Upper Thumb.
Following the major blaze — perhaps the largest fire Goodland Township has ever experienced — Fire Chief Brian Kinzer thanked everyone for their support during a tragic time.
Kinzer said Lapeer Central Dispatch received the call at about 4:50 p.m. from Pallets N More that the business had a fire in one of its buildings.
“Everyone was able to vacate the premises,” Kinzer said.
Goodland Township and Imlay City fire departments were dispatched for the structure fire. Within one minute, Kinzer arrived on scene. At that time, one of the several buildings on the four-acre property was fully engulfed in flames.
A request for Brown City (Sanilac County), Arcadia Township, and North Branch Fire Departments was made. Soon afterward, a request for the Southeastern Lapeer County Manpower Strike Force was made, which includes Lapeer City, Elba Township, Hadley Township and Metamora Township fire departments.
A request for out-of-county tankers was also made. Other departments that responded include: Huron County: Harbor Beach, Sigel Township, Bad Axe, Port Austin and Windsor Township; Sanilac County: Croswell, Delaware Township, Minden City, Marlette, Moore Township, Speaker Township, Elk Township and Applegate; St. Clair County: Berlin Township and Mussey Township; Lapeer County: Deerfield Township, Almont Township and Dryden Township for additional manpower later in the event.
A total of 27 fire departments responded along with multiple Lapeer County EMS units, the Michigan State Police, Parsh Oil & Propane and DTE.
The four-acre site had several buildings, machinery, semi-trailers and thousands of wooden pallets. With the tremendous fuel load of wood products, initial firefighting tactics were a challenge due to extreme heat. The entire site was fully engulfed in fire within 15 minutes of the initial call.
There was no estimate for the total damages at the time of publication and there were no injuries reported, although one cat was confirmed dead and one was still missing.
All units cleared the scene at 3 a.m. Friday, June 5.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to the firefighters, EMS personnel and police officers who responded to the fire,” the owners of Pallets N More wrote in a social media message on Friday.
“In the extreme heat and dangerous conditions, they worked tirelessly and courageously, and we are forever grateful for their efforts. We also want to thank everyone who has reached out, offered support, and kept our family in their prayers. The love, kindness, and encouragement we have received over the last day have meant more to us than words can express,” the business said.
“Above all, we thank God for the alarm that alerted us and ultimately saved our lives. While we lost everything in the fire, material things can be replaced. Sadly, one of our beloved cats did not make it out. We are also still hoping to find our black and white cat, Stormi. If anyone in the area sees her, please let us know.
“This loss is heartbreaking, and the road ahead will not be easy. But we have our lives, we have each other, and we have an incredible community standing beside us. Though everything was reduced to ashes, we will rebuild one day at a time. Our faith remains strong, and we trust that God will carry us through this season. Thank you all for your prayers, support and love.”
Firefighters returned to the scene over the weekend, dousing hot spots reported by passersby.
