A tragic fire on the west side of Detroit has claimed the life of a 44-year-old man, after a blaze broke out in the basement of a Patton Street home yesterday. WWJ Newsradio 950 reported that firefighters were unable to rescue the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother, who was also in the home at the time of the incident, made it out safely, officials said.
The fire began shortly before 5 p.m., near 7 Mile and Evergreen, with firefighters arriving to a mother outside indicating that her son was in the basement, as reported by Tim Pamplin for WWJ Newsradio 950. The clickondetroit coverage further detailed that Detroit Fire Department Senior Chief Leo Spitzig confirmed the fire started in the basement of the ninth dwelling on the block. Despite a valiant effort by fire crews, they were unable to save the man.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are underway, with arson not currently suspected. While the mother escaped unhurt, the Detroit Fire Department has expressed its condolences and has arranged for grief counselors to be available to the affected family and for its members, as per statements by Chief Spitzig in an interview obtained by clickondetroit.
In addition to local authorities, WXYZ reports that the fire department responded to the emergency call around 4:30 p.m., upon which they were informed someone was trapped inside, though the fire, has since been extinguished, the cause is still under investigation.
