DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – The Dearborn Heights Fire Chief says the mobile home fire that killed a 60-year-old man Sunday morning was likely accidental. The flames started in the back of the home in a bathroom cabinet.
The first happened just after 7 a.m. Sunday, when a neighbor saw smoke and called 911.
"I was afraid that he was in there," Brad Osada said.
The 60-year-old man was inside his mobile home when the fire started.
Chief Dave Brogan said firefighters found the man in the front living room unconscious and pulled him from the burning home. They were able to revive his pulse using CPR, but the man died from his injuries at Oakwood Hospital.
Neighbors say the victim was a father of two adult children.
Riverside Properties is a small mobile home park near Ford Road and West Outer Driver in Dearborn Heights. There's only one fire hydrant, which is located close to the victim's home.
Firefighters were able to put the fire out before it spread to neighboring properties.
Investigators found a melted smoke detector inside the home but don't believe it was working at the time of the fire. Brogan said the man was sleeping when the fire started.
It appears the man's cats made it out of the mobile home safely.
Firefighters say that a working smoke detector could have saved the man's life and reminds everyone that October is fire safety month and it's important to check smoke detectors in homes.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.