1 dead, 1 critical after house fire in Monroe Township

MONROE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – One person was killed and another is in critical condition at the hospital after a house fire in Monroe Township, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

UPDATE: Man dies 2 days after house fire in Monroe Township

Five people were inside the home in the 14000 of Tiara Avenue when the fire started shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Monroe Township Fire Inspector Calvin Schmitt said firefighters reported to the house at about 1:30 a.m. He said an elderly man was taken to a hospital. 

"He is now in the burn unit in critical condition," said Schmitt. 

An 18-year-old man, identified as Alex Johnson, was found dead inside the house, Schmitt said. Johnson was a junior in the special education program at Monroe High School. The school district released this statement:

Monroe Public Schools is deeply saddened by the death of one of its own.

Alex Johnson, a junior in the special education MOCI classroom at Monroe High School, was killed early Tuesday in a house fire.

“Our Monroe Public Schools family is devastated by the loss of one of our students,” Dr. Barry Martin, district superintendent said. “It is always difficult to lose a student, but the loss is particularly tragic around the holidays. Our thoughts are with Alex’s family as well as our staff and students at Monroe High School.”

The high school’s social emotional team met at Monroe High School this morning to create a support plan for students.

Additional counseling support will be offered to students who may need the assistance. 

The cause of the fire is not known at this time. 

Here are more details from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office: 

Sheriff’s deputies were first to arrive at the residence and found it fully involved with fire. Several residents had already evacuated, during which time a 70-year-old male resident suffered serious burns while exiting the home. Local area Fire Departments arrived and began extinguishing the fire, which had already consumed most of the residence. The Sheriff’s Office was advised the location was a multigenerational family residence, which was home to five family members.

Fire department personnel were able to enter the home, at which time they discovered the body of
an 18-year-old male resident.

Monroe Community Ambulance transported the 70-year-old male to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, where he is currently listed in critical condition. Two additional residents, a 74-year-old female
and a 42-year-old female, were also transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where they are listed in stable condition.

This photo of the fire is from The Monroe News:

Listen to Fire Inspector Schmitt talk about the victims here:

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