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Officials: Squatter Killed In House Fire

DETROIT (WWJ) - Officials say a 51-year-old man who was trying to stay warm on Detroit's west side was killed in a house fire.

The fire happened at a home in the 3000 block of West Philadelphia, in between Linwood and Dexter Avenue, overnight Tuesday as temperatures sank well below zero.

Officials said the man, who was squatting in the home, started a fire in the fireplace to keep warm. At some point in the night, the flames apparently jumped to a couch where the man was sleeping in the front living room.

The flames reached the second floor before firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Once inside the home, officers found the man's body. His name was not immediately released.

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