Eaton Rapids firefighter fired after his home burns

EATON RAPIDS – Tom Stuart II and his fiancee, Kayla Grimm, woke early on New Year's Day to a house filled with thick black smoke.

Stuart, a volunteer Eaton Rapids firefighter, opened a window and saw flames coming from the home's first floor.

He and Grimm and their two-month-old daughter, Kinsley, escaped through the bedroom window and watched as the fire consumed the home they were renting and everything they owned.

"Clothes, toys, Christmas presents, the T.V., it's all pretty much gone," said Stuart.

Four days later, Stuart lost his job as a firefighter for insubordination.

Eaton Rapids Fire Chief Roger McNutt declined to comment on the specifics of the termination. He said Stuart "failed to follow orders."

But Stuart said it had to do with his efforts to drum up support for his family. They had no renter's insurance.

Grimm had established a GoFundMe account shortly after the fire and promoted the link on social media, in hopes of recouping some of their losses.

The couple's story attracted the attention of two local broadcast news stations. Stuart said he allowed the news crew to film inside what remained of the house and was fired later that day. McNutt told him that no one should have been allowed in the structure, he said.

"I didn't know the fire investigator hadn't been there yet," said Stuart. "The chief was angry about the crews going into the house."

McNutt said Stuart had a history of on-the job, performance-related issues during his short time with the fire department — which is volunteer run. The 21-member group is paid per fire call.

Stuart, who has been a firefighter with the department since the couple moved to Eaton Rapids from the Washington D.C. area in October, said he wasn't cited for any other disciplinary issues on the department before Monday's termination.

State fire officials visited the scene on Tuesday, McNutt said, but have not determined the cause of the fire. He doesn't believe it's suspicious.

McNutt believes the fire started near the downstairs fireplace. Stuart does, too.

The couple used that fireplace "all day, everyday" to help heat the house, Stuart said. They had been using it before they went to bed on Dec. 31.

Dealing with the loss

Stuart and Grimm have since left the area. They are staying with family in Livingston County. Stuart doesn't think they will go back to Eaton Rapids

Stuart said he had been in the process of establishing a home restoration company and had been taking on projects locally himself in the meantime. Money had been tight for the couple. They had been "strapped," he said.

The couple's GoFundMe account has raised more than $1,500.

"In the community there's some really nice, sincere people," he said. "They've helped us out and we appreciate everything they did."

Stuart said the fire was a "shock." The dismissal from the department has been another blow, he said.

"(As a firefighter) they train you in a lot of stuff but they don't train you in losing your home to a fire," he said.