Two people confirmed deceased in Portage Twp. fire

Michigan State Police can now confirm that two people died due to a fire at a house in Portage Township Friday night. The blaze started just after 9:00 at a residence on Valley Road, west of Tapiola Road. The identities of the deceased are being withheld until confirmation can be obtained through autopsies scheduled for later in the week.

The five-alarm fire was answered by MSP in coordination with the Houghton County Sheriff’s Department, Mercy EMS, and the Otter Lake, Stanton Township, Chassell Township, and Hurontown Fire Departments. The structure sits back from Valley Road by several hundred feet, in a secluded location. Water was drawn from the nearby North Otter River. The residence is a total loss in addition to the human toll from the incident.

Fire investigators were on scene Saturday morning combing through the remains of the home, but no cause has been determined as of this time.