By Staff
NILES - A 70-year-old Niles man is dead following a fire Thursday morning in Niles Township.
A Michigan State Police reported Thursday John E. Schmidt of Lot 226 in the Franklin Woods Manufactured Home Community located at 1950 S. 13th St. in Niles Township was found dead in his home by firefighters.
The cause of death was unknown at the time of the fire and no other information is being released until autopsy results and details from a fire investigation are final. The press release stated no foul play was suspected.
The investigation and response to the fire began at 8:48 a.m. following 911 calls from residents of Franklin Woods. The report states the Niles Township Fire Department, the Berrien County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police and Southwest Michigan Community Ambulance Service responded to the scene.
According to the report, State Police Fire Investigators from headquarters in Paw Paw, along with detectives from the State Police Post in Niles, have begun an investigation to determine the cause and origin of the fire.