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Former TV anchor’s home reduced to ashes in overnight fire

Nypost · · 332 words · By Ariel Zilber
Emergency Services Response Local News/Human Interest
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What to know about Emergency Services Response

Former TV anchor’s home reduced to ashes in overnight fire See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Former TV anchor’s home reduced to ashes in overnight fire See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleA former local TV news anchor watched her home go up in flames as firefighters battled a massive blaze that could be seen from miles away.

Common ground

Former WOOD TV8 anchor Michele DeSelms lost her home in a fire that tore through the residence in Plainfield Township, Mich., according to WOOD-TV.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/media/former-michigan-tv-anchors-home-reduced-to-a…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “DeSelms said everyone inside the home escaped safely.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that DeSelms stated everyone inside the home escaped safely.
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web search NEUTRAL — Former WOOD TV8 anchor Michele DeSelms lost her home in a fire that tore through the residence in Plainfield Township, Mich., according to WOOD-TV.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/media/former-michigan-tv-ancho…
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web search NEUTRAL — Michele DeSelms, who anchored at WOOD TV8 from 2020 to 2023, confirmed that everyone inside the home escaped safely, including the family dog. But by the time the first firefighters arrived at approxi…
https://americantribune.com/former-michigan-tv-anchor-watche…
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web search NEUTRAL — Two people escaped, but a third person has died, as a result of a house fire early this morning in Canton.29 May 2026Grand Rapids, Michigan The Plainfield Township home that burned Wednesday night is …
https://michigan.liveuamap.com/en/2026/28-may-the-plainfield…
info
Claim 2: “Crews from Algoma Township, Alpine Township, Cannon Township, Sparta and Rockford joined Plainfield Township smoke eaters at the scene”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the provided evidence contains lists of fire departments (Algoma, Alpine, Cannon, Sparta, Rockford) responding to other fires in the region, there is no specific corroboration in the provided evidence that this exact group responded to DeSelms' home fire specifically. The evidence provided for this claim refers to a landfill fire and a 2019 incident.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_County,_Michigan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark E. Huizenga (born July 21, 1967) is a Republican member of the Michigan Senate for the 30th district.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Huizenga
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Timmins ( TIM-inss) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timmins
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 3: “A camera positioned in downtown Grand Rapids — roughly 10 miles from the scene — captured a towering column of smoke rising above the horizon.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the specific detail about a camera in downtown Grand Rapids capturing the smoke column.
verified
Claim 4: “DeSelms worked at WOOD TV8 from 2020 to 2023.”
VERIFIED
WOODTV.com explicitly states that Michele DeSelms worked at News 8 from 2020 to 2023.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Michele DeSelms worked at News 8 from 2020 to 2023. Add as preferred source on Google. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved ...
https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/plainfield-township-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Vancouver sunset ... Always fun at the WOOD TV8 downtown studio :) #newsanchor. Always fun at the ...
https://www.instagram.com/michele_deselms/?hl=en
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web search NEUTRAL — She joined the station in 2020 as community strategy manager and transitioned to the newsroom in May 2021. Michele's broadcasting career started on a morning ...
https://www.woodtv.com/author/michele-deselms/
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Claim 5: “Former WOOD TV8 anchor Michele DeSelms lost her home in a fire that tore through the residence in Plainfield Township, Mich.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that former WOOD TV8 anchor Michele DeSelms lost her home in a fire in Plainfield Township, Michigan.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 · The meaning of FORMER is coming before in time. How to use former in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Former.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/former
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web search NEUTRAL — Former is a clothing brand founded by Craig Anderson, Dane Reynolds, Austyn Gillette and Dylan Rieder. We are independently owned & operated.
https://www.formermerchandise.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — FORMER definition: 1. of or in an earlier time; before the present time or in the past: 2. the first of two people…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/former
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Claim 6: “Multiple fire departments rushed to the scene around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a blaze at the home, not far from Grand Rapids.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm fire departments responded to the scene around 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday at a home near Grand Rapids.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Multiple fire departments rushed to the scene around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a blaze at the home, not far from Grand Rapids.Smoke billows from DeSelms’ Plainfield Township home as a fire …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/media/former-michigan-tv-ancho…
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web search NEUTRAL — Six fire departments converging on a single residential property in a township just north of Grand Rapids is not routine. The blaze was large enough that residents miles away could see the column of s…
https://americantribune.com/former-michigan-tv-anchor-watche…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dwelling Fire: DetroitFire to Rosemont & Joy Rd on reports of a dwelling fire, rear of dwelling. Battalion Chief's 2/4 will have incident command. Engine 55 reports a working fire.
https://michigan.liveuamap.com/en/2026/28-may-the-plainfield…
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Claim 7: “DeSelms told WOOD-TV that renovations were underway at the property when the fire broke out.”
CORROBORATED
Both WOOD-TV and the New York Post report that renovations were underway at the property when the fire occurred.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Renovations were underway at DeSelms’ home when the it burned down, according to WOOD-TV. Plainfield Township Fire Department. Authorities did not immediately determine the cause of the inferno. Firef…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/media/former-michigan-tv-ancho…
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web search NEUTRAL — DeSelms told the New York Post that renovations were underway at the property when the fire broke out. Whether the renovation work played any role in the fire has not been determined. Investigators ha…
https://americantribune.com/former-michigan-tv-anchor-watche…
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web search NEUTRAL — michele-deselms Michele DeSelms anchor for Grand Rapids FOX affiliate WXMI, is back on the air after suffering second and third degree burns over the Memorial Day weekend.You can watch the video of he…
https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/grand-rapids-anchor-back-on-air…
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Claim 8: “A dog there also made it out without injury.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly mention that the family dog also escaped the fire without injury.
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web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 · DeSelms said everyone inside the home escaped safely. A dog there also made it out without injury. Advertisement. Explore More. An image ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/media/former-michigan-tv-ancho…
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web search NEUTRAL — Everything inside was lost — memories, belongings, and the structure itself — yet the family and their dog survived. The incident is a stark reminder: safety ...
https://www.facebook.com/61560949875398/posts/a-home-can-be-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Everyone inside the home, including a dog, escaped safely, but the house was completely destroyed. According to reports, firefighters were called around 8:30 ...
https://www.facebook.com/61566954510102/posts/former-tv-anch…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.