Stray fireworks believed to have started trailer fire in Milford

Snapshots show the damage at Childs Lake Estates in Milford.  A family's trailer was gutted by a fire believed to have been caused by stray fireworks.

Lisa Zarves, her husband, Scott, and two of their three children woke up around 3:00 a.m. Saturday to smoke and flames.  Thankfully, they all got out in time.

"I went to open my door to actually see what was going on and just this plume of smoke just boiled into our room," said Scott Myers.

"We looked outside.  Our whole deck was just engulfed in flames," said Zarves.  "Right after we had [gone] to bed, there was still fireworks that had been going off and we thought nothing of it."

The fire marshall says the fire started on the deck and spread to the living room and kitchen.  He believes stray fireworks landed under the deck, causing the fire in the hot, dry conditions.

"I can't believe that in this much dryness, no rain in almost two months, that somebody would be lighting off something like that when our houses are all 20, 30 feet apart," Myers said.

"Especially with how dry it's been, if you're going to light off fireworks, you need to do it over a lake in a well wet down area, that way it's not catching on fire," Zarves said.

Right now the family is staying with relatives as they get their lives back together.  Childs Lake Estates on Pontiac Trail is accepting donations at the clubhouse to help.

With Michigan's new law allowing firecrackers, bottle rockets and more powerful consumer fireworks, experts fear there will be more fires and injuries.  The fire marshall says if you shoot an explosive into the air, you better know where it lands.  He's urging people to be careful so more Fourth of July celebrations don't end in tragedy.