house fire

A home on Ruddiman Avenue in North Muskegon burns in this file photo from 2007. The North Muskegon Fire Department and the Muskegon Township fire departments conducted the controlled burn of the house as a training exercise.

(MLive file photo)

MASON COUNTY, MI - If you buy a piece of property with a house on it that you don't want, it's not a good idea to burn the structure down.

That's what a 72-year-old Ottawa County man did, and he may now be facing criminal charges, according to the Mason County sheriff.

The property owner told Mason County deputies that he didn't intend to pursue an insurance claim or had any malicious intent, said Sheriff Kim Cole. It was just that the house had sat vacant for several years and the man didn't believe it was worth rehabilitating, according to Cole.

"He just wanted it gone, so he set it on fire," Cole said.

The structure fire in the 6900 block of East Sugar Grove Road in Sheridan Township was reported by a motorist around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Cole said. By the time firefighters from Branch Township and Fountain Area fire departments arrived, the house was a burning pile of rubble, he said.

The man from West Olive who had recently purchased the property told sheriff deputies he did not realize he needed a permit to burn the structure, Cole said. If he had contacted the local fire department, it's possible the department would have burned the house for him as a training exercise, Cole said.

Instead, the man may face criminal charges related to burning without a permit and improper disposal of hazardous waste, Cole said. The home contained mattresses and perhaps other materials such as tiles made of materials that could damage the environment when burned, he said.

It will be up to the Mason County prosecutor to determine if charges are appropriate.