As Homeowners Move On, Fire Moves In

In mid-September, Consumers Energy shut off 1430's pirated electricity. A Land Bank inspector came by in the first days of October. Yoesting promised he'd be out by the following Monday or Tuesday.

On Tuesday night, Oct. 7, Yoesting lit candles to make the most of his remaining eyesight. He'd been drinking, and as the hour passed midnight, he tinkered with his lawnmower in the living room.

The next morning, Ron Morgan was pouring coffee when neighbor Dallas Freeman began beating on his door. Smoke! At Gordy's place!

The men jumped the steps of 1430, then stepped back to kick the door in.

That's when the place blew.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined. Police suspect the candles and gas Yoesting kept inside for his mower. Thin rumors circulate that maybe someone had it in for Yoesting, but neither intent nor proof has turned up, said Sgt. James Hamilton, the arson investigator.

"That's what frustrating about this job. At the end of the day, you have to walk away and say some of them you just don't know," he said.