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EDWARDSBURG — An Edwardsburg man was killed last week in a structure fire, according to the Howard Township Fire Department.

Early Friday morning, the call came through at 1:02 a.m. for a structure fire on Conrad Road in Edwardsburg. As the fire department arrived, the single-wide mobile home was fully involved in the fire.

“En route, there were reports that the occupant was out of the residence and had severe burns,” said Chris Corzine, fire chief of Howard Township Fire Department.

As Corzine and the fire department arrived at the scene, medics showed up at the same time.

“He went right to the ambulance and was transported from scene to Memorial Hospital,” said Corzine.

The resident of the home, Richard Katterheinrich, 59, was in critical condition and airlifted to a burn unit in a Fort Wayne hospital for treatment of second to third degree burns covering 60-percent of his body. Katterheinrich would later pass away on Saturday in the hospital in Fort Wayne.

Rebecca Medlin remembers her uncle as a man who was always trying to make others laugh.

“His nieces and nephews were priority,” Medlin said. “He loved my kids, my sister’s kids and my cousin’s kids. He was very funny.”

A man who always had a dog for as long as Medlin can remember, she believes that he went back into the house to save his pet. Unfortunately, his dog did not survive.

“He always, always his whole life had a dog,” Medlin said. “It was always his baby.”

Medlin knew Katterheinrich to be an active man, who had a pontoon and enjoyed fishing on Diamond Lake with his family.

He worked for B&S Trucking.

“He had a wonderful relationship with his boss,” Medlin said.

Medlin has set up a GoFundMe for her uncle’s final expenses, and bringing him home to be laid to rest.

Katterheinrich was also an Army veteran.

Due to the severity of Katterheinrich’s injuries, Corzine had a Michigan State Fire Investigator do an inspection.

There is no reported suspicion of foul play or arson. No accelerants were detected during the investigation. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Howard Township Fire Department was assisted by the Edwardsburg Fire Department, Niles Township Fire Department, Niles City Fire Department, Pokagon Volunteer Fire Department, Cass County Fire Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Department at the scene.