Arson Suspected at Madonna’s Childhood Home
By Frank Witsil and Kelly Kozlowski, Detroit Free Press
Jun. 30–Arson investigators are treating as suspicious a weekend fire that heavily damaged a Rochester Hills house that once was pop star Madonna’s childhood home, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department said today.
The fire, reported at 2036 Oklahoma at about 8 p.m. Friday, caused significant damage to the two-story brick home. According to a neighbor who declined to give his name, a woman driving in the neighborhood noticed smoke coming from behind the home and decided to call 911. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting through the west side of the roof, Rochester Hills Fire Chief Ron Crowell said.
The current owners were not home at the time and no one was injured, he said. The owners have not yet been allowed to return to their home, according to a neighbor who said he spoke to them Saturday night.
“We brought it under control in about 10 minutes,” Crowell said. “There was significant loss.”
The fire appears to have started in the living room, he said, adding that neighbors and the home’s owners said the house was where Madonna grew up.
The anonymous neighbor said his family has known the Ciccone family for a long time. His children used to play with Madonna and her siblings. Even after Madonna gained fame, he said she would sometimes return to the Oklahoma Avenue home. He recalled one instance when Madonna brought Sean Penn with her.
It was unclear if this was the house that went up on eBay in 2001.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department said the fire is considered suspicious, and under investigation for arson.
Madonna Louise Ciccone, 49, was born in Bay City and raised in Pontiac and Rochester Hills. She attended the University of Michigan before she went to New York and became a star.
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