Yooper Puts out House Fire with Snowblower Da Yoopers Website

  Many of us here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan have used a snow blower for clearing our driveways and paths, but who would even consider using a snow blower to put out a house fire? Steve Liubakka of Diorite, Michigan, that’s who.

  First he tried a fire extinguisher after he first saw flames shooting out of his neighbor's window.

  "I emptied a thirty pounder on there; I knew it was a bigger fire than the 30 pounder was, but the fire was coming out of the picture window and it was up above the eves," says Liubakka.

Steve Liubakka, snowblowing hero

In an act of desperation to cool the flames, he then turned to his trusty 32-inch cut, 13 horse power Ariens snow blower.

"I knew she was very hot when I went up to her with the chemical fire extinguisher, so two things you have to do is get the temperature down and the oxygen out of there," Liubakka says.

Liubakka proceeded to blow 16 inches of snow into the front window of the house where the fire started.

"If you looked inside there, you can see the heat was tremendous. It melted everything in every room--it went through there with the heat, with the snow going in there, it knocked it down," says Joseph Cadeau, the owner the burned home.

Joseph Cadeau, owner of the burned home

Cadeau is grateful for all Liubakka did to help, but he doesn't know if they'll be able to save the home.

"He's an excellent neighbor, I thank him very much," Cadeau says.

And as for Liubakka, he's happy and proud he thought of using the snow blower when he did.

"The fire chief told us, if it wasn't for the snow blower, you wouldn't have a house. The snow blower isn't a $550,000 fire truck, but it did the job," Liubakka says.

No one was injured in the fire, but a missing snowman has been reported.

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