Bertrand barn fire burns up old vehicles
Published 11:53 am Thursday, August 29, 2019
BERTRAND TOWNSHIP — A barn fire that broke out in Bertrand Township Tuesday evening caused no injuries, but it did damage a number of classic cars and motorcycles past the point of repair.
Bertrand Township Fire Department was dispatched to the home of Denny Paskiet at 6:47 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they determined the barn was too dangerous to enter due to the fire’s extent, said Captain Tyler Knisely.
Despite water being used on the building and 11 other area fire departments responding, he said the barn eventually burned to the ground, damaging much of Paskiet’s vehicle collection inside.
“My life’s everything is in there,” Paskiet said.
The Bertrand Township resident had turned off his running golf cart in his barn and left it for a few minutes. Paskiet said the cart was running poorly, so he was preparing to take it for a ride.
When he came back a few minutes later, he saw the golf cart on fire. Paskiet said he ran back to his home to get a fire extinguisher, but the fire had spread too quickly for him to control.
After calling the police, he and a few other people tried to make the most of the situation.
“I did get a few cars out there before it got too bad,” he said.
On Wednesday, Paskiet met with an insurance agent to determine his next steps.