East Bay Township Man Killed in Fire

A 68-year-old East Bay Township man was killed in a house fire on Peninsula Trail Friday morning. Firefighters reached the residence within four minutes of being alerted to the fire by the man's wife, who had briefly left the home and came back to find the structure in flames. Responders were hampered in their attempts to rescue the man in his bedroom by heavy smoke and flames, which took approximately 12 minutes to get under control. By the time firefighters were able to access the bedroom, the man had already succumbed to the fire.

According to Grand Traverse Metro Fire Chief Pat Parker, 21 Metro firefighters from three stations responded to the blaze. An autopsy for the victim, whose identity has not yet been released, is scheduled to take place today (Saturday) in Kalamazoo.