Fire at Wagon Wheel motel leaves 26 homeless

By Genine Hopkins

A devastating fire at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Hayes Township on July 5, 2025, left 20 people and 6 children homeless but had only one serious injury, the owner, who was burned on their hands and feet. The fire broke out at 4 p.m. and started in room 4. Electric service was cut for area residents and businesses since there was a main power line near the structure. Multiple departments responded to the call: Harrison, Clare, Surrey, Garfield, Lincoln, Beaverton, and Gladwin, with 152,000 gallons of water used to contain the blaze. The fire was brought under control about 7:30 p.m., with crews leaving the scene about 8:30 p.m. The entirety of the office was destroyed along with several rooms.
According to Harrison Fire Department Chief Chris Damvelt, who was out of the area for the holiday but quickly came back to the location after the call, the case is being forwarded to the State of Michigan Fire Inspector to confirm the cause of the fire. The Inspector is expected to be at the scene in the morning on Tuesday, July 8th.
“I’ve been on the job here for the past 10 years and that building has been on my radar for awhile with some red flags,” Damvelt stated, “It’s an old building with no fire stops, made with old knotty pine construction.”
The number of departments responding to the blaze was due to the location of the fire, out-side of a city water source. With each truck holding between 2,000 and 3,000 gallons of water, one department was not sufficient to handle the blaze.
As stated prior, Consumer’s Energy had to restore power to the area businesses and homes, on one of the muggiest days of the year, sending many people to the area for the Harrison Fire-works a bit earlier than they anticipated. Steve’s Country Market, one of the businesses affected, had to close early.
The Red Cross has relocated families to other, temporary housing pending finding more permanent locations