This is one of the more interesting and curious stories I have seen this winter.  I called the head of marketing at Ariens to see if they have some photos or video of the dramatic save and he said they are working on it today.  I will update as I get more information

Neighbor puts out fire with snowblower
February 9, 2011 - By Dionna Harris

DIORITE - For most people, a snowblower has only one use - to remove snow. For Diorite resident Joseph Cadeau, however, it was the quick thinking of neighbor Steve Luibakka, and his snowblower, that saved his home from complete destruction. Luibakka used his snowblower to put out a fire at Cadeau's home.

According to Ishpeming Fire Chief Andy Lusardi, firefighters received a call Monday around 8:45 p.m. of a structure fire in Diorite, Marquette County.

According to Lusardi, the fire appears to have started in a couch, while one of the home's occupants was in another part of the house.

Liubakka, in a telephone interview with the Daily Press, said his neighbor, Cadeau, had just left the home to assist another resident when the fire broke out.

"He (Cadeau) had left to snowblow the driveway of their minister's home," said Liubakka. "About 20-minutes later, his 16-year old son, who was home at the time, came running over in a pair of pajama bottoms and barefeet, saying the house was on fire."

According to Liubakka, Cadeau's son contacted the Ishpeming Fire Department to report the fire at 58 County Road 496.

Liubakka said he took a 30-pound fire extinguisher over to the home to help knock down the flames.
As he was heading over to the residence, the intense heat from the fire blew out a picture window in the living room, where the fire is believed to have started.

By the time Liubakka arrived at the home, the flames were 6 feet above the roof.

"I was able to knock down the flames, but it was so hot. The heat was so intense, it just flared up again. I ran over to my son-in-law's garage and grabbed his snowblower...and started blowing snow into the living room. It took about 10 minutes, but we were able to knock the flames down."

Liubakka said while he was operating the snowblower, his son-in-law shoveled snow into the home, and into the auger of the snowblower.

"One firefighter said there was about 16 inches of snow in the living room. And even with all the snow, the temperature within the home at that time was still 170 degrees," said Liubakka.

Lusardi said the fire was out when firefighters arrived at the scene.
"...We did remain on scene for two hours to insure there was no rekindling of the fire as the result of radiant heat," he said.

He said using the snowblower to blow snow through the front window helped contain the fire to the living room.
The home did sustain smoke damage.

While there were no injuries reported, a pet dog perished in the fire.

"The fire was so hot that it melted just about everything in the livingroom and other rooms in the home. Although they (Cadeau's) had two dogs, one of the dogs bit Joe's son as he was trying to get him out from under the bed where he was hiding. One of the dogs was saved, while the other perished," said Liubakka.