Clinton Township officials say they expect to receive bids in July from demolition companies interested in tearing down a fire-damaged house on the town’s south end.

The township’s Board of Trustees recently voted to relocate $15,000 from the 2024-2025 budget to the current one to finance the bid process of the vacant home on Vermander Avenue, in the 15 Mile-Gratiot area.

It’s the first time in Building Department Superintendent Barry Miller’s 22-year career that Clinton Township has had to pay for a building to be demolished.

“I’ve always carried my budget forward for demolition of homes,” he told the board. “The DPW has cleaned it up, so the next step is to go out for bids.”

The burned-out structure on the 21000 block of Vermander belonged to 68-year-old John “Ray” Brune, who lived in the home until he was killed in an explosion and subsequent fire in December 2023.

Earlier this year, the township board agreed to have the land conveyed to the township, to get the demolition process started quicker and put the property up for sale.

If the board had waited for Macomb County to conclude with tax foreclosure proceedings, the neighborhood likely would be forced to live with the mess for another 2-3 years.

Trustee Julie Matuzak said the township’s Department of Public Works worked to clean up the property the best they could. Still, the damaged structure stands out, she said.

“It’s been an eyesore in the community for a long time,” Matuzak said. “I can’t reiterate enough that the DPW did a fine job, but it still looks awful. It needs to come down”

There was speculation either a space heater or propane tanks may have contributed to the explosion as Brune reportedly was having difficulty paying his electric bill and neighbors said they saw him carrying tanks of propane into the house hours before the fire.

Whatever caused the explosion resulted in the house being consumed by the inferno. Numerous fire trucks and ambulances lined Vermander for hours, residents said.

Brune, who was disabled, had a sister, three children and two grandchildren, but did not have any heirs to the property, township officials said. He lived with his brother until he died in the same house several years ago, according to neighbors.

Estate representatives have offered the property to Clinton Township, which will demolish the structure, then put the property up for sale.