An elderly Manitowoc man died in a house fire on the city’s south side last night.
Manitowoc County Chief Deputy Coroner Jeffrey Schroeder said early this morning that the victim was located inside the burning structure at 1711 Phillipen Street about 8 pm. The male was removed by Manitowoc fire department personnel and taken to a local hospital, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Schroeder said in a news release the victim has not been identified and an autopsy is planned this morning.
Battalion Chief Tim Herzog said the initial alarm reported visible flames, heavy smoke and a possible victim still inside. No one else was inside the residence at the time of the blaze. Herzog says the fire was brought under control by 9:00, with most fire units released from the scene by midnight. One unit remained at 1711 Phillipen street on fire-watch through the night.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and there’s no dollar loss available this morning. Manitowoc police and the state fire marshal are aiding in the investigation. The MFD received mutual aid support last night from Branch, Newton, Silver Creek, and Two Rivers fire departments, along with Valders ambulance.
The Salvation Army was on-scene providing hot beverages for firefighters working in sub-zero conditions and, a Manitowoc city bus was used as a warm shelter for crews and freezing equipment.
Damon Ryan, WOMT, Manitowoc