ROSCOMMON — On Monday, Dec. 16, Roscommon County Central Dispatch got a 911 call about smoke inside the Spruce Motor Lodge around 2 a.m.
Higgins Township Fire/EMS and Roscommon County deputies arrived to find the three-story building filled with smoke and the kitchen and lower floor engulfed in flames. All residents were evacuated, but the structure sustained heavy fire damage. The cause and damage estimates are currently unknown.
Spruce Motor Lodge is a historic building once known as the Pioneer House. It was opened in the early 1870s as a boardinghouse for lumbermen. It underwent three major renovations between 1885 and 1936, evolving into a hotel with 22 guest rooms and three apartments. During the 1920s and ‘30s, visitors from as far away as Hollywood, California and Havana, Cuba stayed at the hotel, including comedian Groucho Marx.
Roscommon County Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office and the American Red Cross are coordinating to find temporary lodging for the eight displaced residents. Roscommon County Veteran’s Affairs Office has also been notified and is working to provide support to potential veterans in need of assistance.
Anyone interested in donating to help residents can call the Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit at 517-256-6229.
The following departments assisted Higgins Township at the scene – South Branch Fire Department, Gerrish Township Fire Department, Richfield Township Fire Department, Grayling Fire Department, Markey Fire Department, Lake Township Fire Department, and Denton Township Fire Department, and S&J Excavating.