The house at 803 First Ave. S., built in 1880, had recently sold after being listed for $29,000 in June by Scott Mosier of Key Realty. It was purchased through UPWards Real Estate Agent Christina King-Caron on July 21, according to Zillow.

Neighbors reported the old house was unoccupied and in the process of being cleared out of rubbish.

Victoria Cook, who lives nearby, made the 911 call about 2:30 p.m. when she realized the smoky smell was not from a safe and intentional burn.

“I had my front door open. My husband just left for work, and I was sitting there with my girls, and I smelled something,” Cook said. “I know they’ve been cleaning that house out, because they just sold it. … So I thought they were burning brush and stuff in the back. So I was going back there to see, and I look, and there’s just all this smoke coming through. And I looked up, I ran around, and there’s just flames coming through the top of the house.”

Hoses are aimed by Escanaba Public Safety on a burning house at 803 First Ave. S. on Monday afternoon. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

She said Escanaba Public Safety Department arrived “immediately.”

Other entities that responded were the Escanaba Electric Department and DTE to turn off power, Delta County Sheriff, Ford River Volunteer Fire Department, UP Health System and Michigan State Police.

By 3 p.m., smoke was pouring from all sides of the house.

Residents looked on from nearby parking lots — that of St. Joseph and St. Patrick’s Church and a public one at the northwest corner of First and Eighth — as responders battled the fire. Buildings in that area are in very close proximity to one another, so neighbors evacuated and watched from the sidelines, hoping their homes stayed unharmed.

“It’s gonna suck not having to be able to stay there tonight or tomorrow,” said Cook, certain that smoke blowing southeast had infiltrated her house, “but I hope that there’s nothing damage-wise done because my landlord can’t afford it. She’s a single mom of five kids.”

A firefighter removes a gasoline can from the alley near the fire. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

The structure immediately to the east of the burned house, an apartment building at 801 First Ave. S., had exterior damage — melted vinyl siding — but did not seem to be affected inside, though some smoke likely permeated to some extent.

“These houses are packed pretty much on top of each other, and the fact that all three of them didn’t go up is a miracle,” Escanaba Public Safety Capt. Darren Smith said, adding that emergency response went smoothly.

As 803 First Ave. S. suffered extensive damage and its roof collapsed, the place will be a complete loss, Smith said.

The fire was out by about 4 p.m., and responders were leaving by about 5:30 p.m.

Smoke pours from the eaves of a house at 803 First Ave. S. that burned in Escanaba on Monday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

Smoke is pushed by a breeze from the northeast into southern Escanaba. The source of the fire was a house behind the white apartment building seen in the foreground. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)