DETROIT – Two men are dead following a house fire on the city's west side at Clifton and Rangoon Streets on Sunday.
The call to the fire department came in at about 9:00 a.m.
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Sources say one victim was found in the living room, the other in the bathroom.
Micheal Henderson identified one man as Rick, saying "he was a really nice and fun guy to have around."
The fire chief says he saw no smoke alarms in the homes.
"The fire department got here extremely fast," said Captain Frank Maiorana. "There's actually a firehouse just a couple blocks away. When they got here they found the dwelling involved in fire."
A space heater too close to combustibles may have caused the fire.
"I know with the extreme cold weather that we're having if people are using a heating device to warm their home …if a blanket falls too close to a heater it can start a fire," Captian Maiorana said.
While police tape blocked off the property, there was not much damage visible from outside the home.
"The danger of fires is that smoke can disorient a person very quickly," Captain Mairoana said. "So even though the fire may not be extreme, the poison us gas from the smoke can still cause a fatality."
Friends and family started gathering outside, fearing the worst.
"He was pretty much the neighborhood handyman," Henderson said. "Anybody that needed anything done, especially the older people, like getting the grass mowed, any handy work around the house he took care of it."