The owners of Great Lakes Custom Meats and More in Oceola Township lost a storage building for a separate business venture in a devastating fire Aug. 17.
The building, located behind Great Lakes Custom Meats and More, contained materials for the Michigan Food Equipment Company.
The Howell Area Fire Department was dispatched to the scene around 2 a.m. Aug. 17, according to a social media post from HAFD. The large-scale incident was upgraded to a third alarm fire, summoning firefighters from surrounding departments.
Gary Radtke, the business’ owner, said everything inside was a total loss. His daughter, he added, actually responded to the call as a member of Livingston County’s Disaster Assistance Response Team.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Radtke is currently working with his insurance company to figure out next steps, but guaranteed business will continue for the Michigan Food Equipment Company.
Great Lakes Custom Meats and More will remain unaffected and open during regular business hours. The market at 5642 E. Highland Road carries everything from hand-cut steaks and fresh ground beef to homemade jerky.
Radtke started with Michigan Food Equipment before launching Great Lakes Custom Meats and More.
“Seeing a piece of something our family has spent decades building destroyed in a matter of hours is incredibly hard,” the family shared on social media.
The post also expressed gratitude for the community’s support and responding firefighters, who successfully contained the blaze and protected surrounding buildings.
“The amount of support we received yesterday — from people showing up at the store to the messages, phone calls, offers to help, and kind words from our friends and community — has meant more to our family than we can put into words,” the post read.
HAFD was assisted by the Brighton Area Fire Authority, Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority, Fowlerville Area Fire Department, Green Oak Firefighters, Milford Fire Department, Highland Township Fire and Putnam Township Fire Department.
— Contact reporter Makayla Coffee at mcoffee@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Firefighters respond to blaze behind Great Lakes Custom Meats and More
Reporting by Makayla Coffee, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Makayla Coffee, Livingston Daily | USA TODAY Network
