Less than a year after devasting fire, Deerfield Township family settles into new home
DEERFIELD TWP. — The first morning Lindsay and AJ Rowe woke up in their new home, it was her birthday; and it was a spectacular gift.
The Rowes and six of their children narrowly escaped a fire that destroyed their 1906 farmhouse in Deerfield Township near Hartland in March 2023. All were rushed to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. Some had broken bones. AJ suffered burns. Their son, Gunner, was in the hospital for some time. Two dogs died.
Still, they survived.
Their harrowing story captivated the community, who showered the family with support through a GoFundMe fundraiser and donations.
Three hundred and eighteen days later, the Rowes moved into a new farmhouse on the same footprint as their old one. On the same farm, they operate Rustic Marine, a home décor, woodworking and event company that supports veteran-owned small businesses. AJ, a veteran himself, is a woodworker.
"For the first time in their lives, all of the kids have their own bedrooms," Lindsay said.
"The big kids were, like, gone, in their rooms," AJ said. "They still spend a lot of time in their rooms."
More: 'I'm jumping': Michigan family details miraculous escape from house fire
For months, the large family lived cramped inside a temporary mobile home on the property. They had to store Christmas presents in the garage. Some were donated by Dearborn Fire and the University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center.
"The day we moved in here, it was really like Christmas for them again, because they finally got all their Christmas presents back," Lindsay said. "They got to set everything up. They got their bedding. We had dressers."
Lindsay celebrated her birthday — their first full day in the house — with a "furniture building party," she said.
Unexpected friends for life
After the fire, Brighton car dealer John Cueter allowed the Rowes to temporarily live in his home and loaned them a pickup truck from Brighton Ford. Cueter, who's now "Uncle John" to the family, also surprised them with a puppy named Joanie.
Kasey Kasprzak, a friend who owns Tanner's Trove in Genoa Township, set up the GoFundMe, which raised thousands. Several businesses, organizations and schools organized fundraisers and donation drives. Another farm looked after their farm animals.
While staying at Cueter's home gave them a place to regroup, they missed home terribly. In May 2023, the family moved into the mobile home on the property. Tanner, their quarter horse; Jack, their donkey; and some chickens and ducks returned home, too.
"So many people helped us out so we could afford (to rebuild) despite our insurance company," a challenge they're still tackling, Lindsay said. "Our closest friends, we didn't even know before the fire."
The Rowes became close with Jason Leidel of Leidel Excavating, who razed their old farmhouse and dug their new basement free of charge. They said Leidel's wife's family once lived in the house and were there to take a picture on the front porch the day before the fire. Nicholas Bible of Bible Construction was "phenomenal." Other companies helped with items like countertops and doors.
"We'll be able to get back to our normal business here," Lindsay said of Rustic Marine. "We'll get back to our woodworking and our classes and workshops."
A narrow escape
Six of the couple's seven children — aged 2-13 at the time — were sleeping in the home when the fire broke out. Lindsay was able to find five of them quickly. She busted the window in a second-floor bedroom and evacuated her children onto the roof.
While she was on the phone with responders, AJ appeared at the window — but without their son Gunner, who was four years old at the time.
Risking his own life, AJ disappeared into the black smoke. He appeared at Gunner's bedroom window, prepared to toss him out. That's when Lindsay decided to jump off the roof, risking injury, to run to catch him.
The older kids helped toss the younger ones down. AJ jumped from the window. Their daughter, Molly, jumped off the roof.
Only weeks after the fire, what remained of the family's house and a vehicle left in their garage were broken into. The front door was broken. A brick was thrown through the glass on a barn door, and windows smashed on their Chevrolet Suburban. The Rowes still don't know who broke in.
Paying it forward, again
Lindsay wants to help other house fire victims, several of whom have reached out to her for advice and support.
Organizing something wouldn't be foreign to the couple. In May 2023, they coordinated a fire safety event, called "Gunner's Escape," with the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority.
They also passed along donated items to others by setting up a "free little Christmas shop" in a shed they normally use for Rustic Marine wares.
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Others have asked if the family could hold an open house and sell tickets, then donate to the fire department. Or else create a resource for others who've suffered house fires.
"I feel like there's something bigger brewing," Lindsay said.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Less than a year after devasting fire, Deerfield Township family settles into new home
