A 64-year-old resident and his dog are dead after fire swept through the man’s house and massive amounts of clutter obstructed all exits.
The fire occurred at about 6:35 a.m. on Jan. 23 in the 13000 block of Mercier Street.
Along with Southgate crews, eight Wyandotte firefighters rushed to the scene to assist since another neighboring department was busy with a fire in its community.
According to Southgate Fire Chief Marc Hatfield, his fire crews arrived within 4 minutes of the emergency call for help.
Upon their arrival, neighbors told firefighters that the resident was inside.
Firefighters tried to get inside the house to perform a search, but were restricted by all the clutter, the fire chief said.
A probe is underway into the fatal fire that claimed the life of a 64-year-old man and his dog. (Photo courtesy of Gary Krupczak)
While they worked to get in, the fire was spreading and conditions worsened to the point crews could not make entry.
The bulk of the fire was knocked down from the exterior, according to Hatfield.
Attention was then focused back on making “an exhaustive search” on all levels of the house.
After the fire was extinguished, the resident was found deceased on the first floor.
“His body was near the door,” Hatfield said. “The door was obstructed and he couldn’t get out.”
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Officials said fire and smoke damage was significant and the Downriver Fire Investigation team was called in to conduct the probe.
They are searching to find the cause and origin of the fire.
“I don’t believe there were any working smoke detectors,” Hatfield said.
He said the fire does not appear …read more
Source:: The Mercury News