Man Couldn't Escape Flames, Dies In Fire On Detroit's East Side
DETROIT (WWJ) - Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a house fire that claimed a Detroit man's life.
The fire took off around 3 a.m. Wednesday at a home in the 2000 block of Lawley, in an east side neighborhood near I-75 and the Davison Freeway.
It's not clear how many people were inside the home as the fire continued to grow, but one man was unable to escape the flames and died in the blaze. He's said to be in his 30s.
Darrell Franklin, who lives down the street, thinks the victim might have been a squatter.
"I know that some squatters was living over there, some young people," Franklin told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "They squatted in that house over here across the street last summer and then they moved over here this summer."
Franklin said the man's death is unfortunate, but he's trying to see a positive outcome in the situation.
"I hate that the house is on fire but I'm glad that's one less house they got to use to squat in," he said. "They've been more than just squatting, bringing stolen -- I don't know what they're carrying in these garbage cans. You know they've got more garbage cans then they need, right?"
Other neighbors said the victim may have been a squatter, but he was friendly and helpful. They said he might have been using a space heater to keep warm.
A cause of the fire remains under investigation.
