A firefighter was arriving back to the fire station around 4:12 p.m. Friday when he noticed a column of black smoke only "two doors" down from the rural-area Fire Station No. 2, a top fire official said.
The firefighter found a house leveled by an active blaze about a half mile down a private drive in the 4200 block of Duck Lake Road, White Lake Fire Authority Fire Chief Gregory Holman said.
Holman said the firefighter is the lone, active-duty daytime worker at White Lake's Fire Station No. 2, which is about a block from the private drive's entrance.