BATAVIA TOWNSHIP, MI – A fire over the weekend in Batavia Township was likely started by a faulty furnace according to investigators.

Bronson ​Fire Chief Scott Wilber says a call came in at 9:18 Saturday morning from a motorist who saw flames coming from the basement windows of a house at 177 North Butcher Road. The Bronson Fire Department responded and mutual aid was provided by the Coldwater, Lakeland and Union City Fire Departments.

​Firefighters found smoke coming from the roof line and flames coming out of the basement windows. The blaze was put out. No one was home at the time.

​Wilber says damage estimates stand at $175,000 for the house and $25,000 for the contents. There were no working smoke alarms in the house.