GRAWN — A house fire on Sunday afternoon that took the life of a rural Blair Township resident may have been caused by a malfunctioning space heater, a Michigan State Police fire investigator said Monday.
“It sounds like it was probably accidental,” said the state police investigator, Sgt. Dan Drew. “We found the remnants of a space heater and a charred electrical cord.”
Drew said he wasn’t positive that the space heater was the cause of the fire, but added, “I can’t eliminate it as a cause.”
Firefighters were dispatched to the home at 4704 S. Old M 137 at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Property records identify the owner of the home as Brian K. Howe. Drew confirmed that Howe died in the fire and said he most likely succumbed to smoke inhalation.
Blair Township Emergency Services Director Eric Somsel, in a press release that did not identify the resident who died, said the man was transported to Munson Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Somsel’s release said that about 40% of the house was engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived. It said the fire was extinguished in about 45 minutes. Somsel did not respond to follow-up calls from the Record-Eagle about the fire.
On Monday, an acrid odor of smoke still hung in the air outside Howe’s residence, which had seven derelict vehicles parked in the driveway. Phyllis Petzler, who lives down the road from Howe, said Howe was a friendly and helpful neighbor who repaired cars and ran a pest-control business.
She said Howe also owned a three-legged black Lab.
“He seemed like he was really nice,” Petzler said. “He sprayed my yard for ticks last year. I said, ‘How much do I owe you?’ He said, ‘Nothing. I do that for all my neighbors.’ “