Source photo by Joe Warner

Fire caused approximately $100,000 damage to the historic Utica Farm Burea building last week.

Corey Motes was the only employee in the store and was closing down for the night around 6 p.m. when the blaze erupted from the electrical panel.

“I was just switching off the lights when we were closing and the sparks just started shooting out of the wall up to the ceiling,” said Motes, who was not injured. “The flames threw me up against the door and I just ran out of there. I was out of there in about two seconds.”

Firefighters from Utica, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Romeo and Washington Township responded to the two-alarm blaze. Utica Fire Chief Robert Beck said the fire was officially contained around 9 p.m. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire, which started around the same time that severe weather was rolling through the area.

“The point of origin was the electrical panel, but we still haven’t finalized a cause because there were some severe storms in the area around the same time and it’s also possible there may have been a lightning strike,” said Beck. “I think the firefighting efforts went very well and we are very thankful to the neighboring communities for their help.”

The Utica Farm Bureau has supplied local farmers with equipment and supplies since 1919. In recent years, as Utica and the surrounding communities have changed, the store has continued to sell fertilizer, farming equipment and other outdoor supplies.

Although there was fire damage to the structure and antiques stored upstairs, Beck said the majority of the destruction was not caused by the flames.

“It doesn’t appear to be serious at a glance. At first glance it appeared to be less than $100,000 of damage and there was no fire damage inside the building. It was all smoke and water damage,” said Beck.

Owner Tim Motes, however, said the devastation was quite extensive and that insurance investigators are still determining just how much damage was done to the approximately 15,000 square-foot building. Motes said he was devastated by the blaze and unsure about the future of the Utica Farm Bureau.

“We won’t know for probably another month or so what the other owners will do about reopening. I hope they reopen it and we can look forward to reopening in the spring,” Motes said. “But if it’s going to cost more than the building is worth, obviously they probably wouldn’t want to rebuild.”