Shelden House a Total Loss; Fire's Cause Undetermined

Doug Stapleton has walked through his house at 590 Shelden Road a few times since it was destroyed in a fire earlier this week. Only two nights before the fire, the family had 80 people over for a Super Bowl party.

"It's like a bad Batman movie, where everything is covered in ice," he said. "There is salt and dirt everywhere." 

Although he was able to grab a few disks containing videos from his family's special events, he has yet to plug them in and see whether they work. Very few photos were pulled from the house, but it's unlikely they'll be salvageable, he said.

Crews from all five Pointes and Harper Woods fought the blaze for nearly five hours before it was under control Tuesday. Firefighters rescued the family's dog, Maxwell, a Yorkshire terrier, who was the only one home at the time of the fire.

The family has experienced a great deal of outreach since the fire Tuesday. "We've had so many people offer to help us," Stapleton said. "It was a bit of an eye-opener."

Stapleton said the insurance company told him Thursday that the house is a total loss, and officials have said it's no longer structurally sound. Additionally, the fire inspector from Grosse Pointe Shores told Stapleton that the cause is being ruled undetermined. 

Stapleton said the fire appears to have started in the master bathroom.

Stapleton, his wife, their 3-year-old son and his two college-aged daughters have lived in the home since 2005. The family is staying with Stapleton's brother in Grosse Pointe until they find a house to rent, he said.

Ultimately, the family plans to demolish the remains of the house and rebuild. Right now it's a matter of figuring out all of the logistics, he said, and building a house that is appropriate for the neighborhood. 

His plan is to get the now shuttered house torn down as quickly as possible, he said. The roof has completely collapsed.

He's tired of looking at it and he imagines neighbors are, too, Stapleton said.

During the six years the family lived in the three-story house at the corner of Shelden and Clairview roads, Stapleton did a lot of renovations and electronic upgrades, he said. 

It was hard to see all of that hard work destroyed, he said. 

A nearby resident called 911 to report the fire shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, reporting that flames were coming out of the roof, according to Shores public safety reports. 

Some crews were on the scene for hours longer, and even a few stayed overnight to ensure hot spots didn't reignite. One hot spot did, requiring Shores firefighters to return early Wednesday. 

The cold temperatures and freezing water created challenges for the firefighters, at least three of whom had injuries stemming from slipping and falling. 

Board-up crews worked from late Tuesday through Wednesday to shutter the house as investigators from the fire department and insurance company wandered the scene.