A family left devastated after a fire destroyed their home and a family member took his own life.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department got on scene late Thursday night.

The call came in just after 11 p.m. for a house fire on Twin Bay Drive just off Potter Road in East Bay Township.

The call came in as a house fire with someone possibly trapped inside but when deputies searched around the house, that’s where they found the missing man in a shed by the lake.

“We instantly started fire suppression activities,” said Metro Fire Chief Pat Parker. “When we heard the police officers say that there’s a gun involved, we instantly abandoned all fire suppression activities and took cover; that lasted for about two hours maybe two and a half hours so we had to unfortunately just let the fire burn, we’re not going to put our crews in any peril and get shot over a house.”

During that time, the man ran out of the shed down by the lake.

Shortly after they heard a gunshot and found the man dead.

We spoke to the family and they asked us to not release the name of the man but we do know he was a relative.

“We came back and started fighting fire again however this fire burned so intensely, that it burned the meter off the house, the gas meter and so we have raw natural gas being pumped into the house,” said Chief Parker.

As DTE worked to cut the lines, firefighters were delayed several more hours until pieces were all that was left.

The family’s neighbors now doing anything they can to help.

“Once we know what they need and what we can do to help, as a little small community but we’re a neighborhood, and they’re going to help from all of us, everything that we can do,” said Laurie Johnson.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but they say it will be difficult with what was left behind.