A basement ceiling fire led to the death of a Valparaiso man Saturday morning in a house fire where there were no working smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, fire officials said Sunday.
Firefighters were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of Elmhurst Street. When they arrived at the bungalow-style home, they found the floor of the living room collapsed and the basement engulfed in flames, Valparaiso Fire Division Chief John Kroll said.
The homeowner, identified by Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris as Scott Cusick, 56, was found dead in the kitchen about eight feet away from the back door, Valparaiso Fire Division Chief John Kroll said Sunday. Cusick likely was attempting to escape out the back when he succumbed to smoke and carbon monoxide.
Harris said an autopsy and toxicology screen will be performed Monday.
A preliminary investigation indicates the fire started in the basement’s drop ceiling near the floor joists. Kroll said. He said there was recent work done to the house, but it was unclear whether the work caused the fire since it was nowhere near the fire’s origin.
But Kroll said it’s a rather unusual place for a fire to start, and it likely was burning for “quite a while” before breaking free of the floor and spreading.
“There was a lot of carbon monoxide spread throughout the house before (Cusick) would’ve even noticed,” Kroll said.
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Fire Department Public Information Officer Robert Schulte said a properly working smoke detector could’ve made made the difference between life and death.
“It’s only speculation, but one can only imagine if there were working smoke detectors that (Cusick) would’ve been alive today,” Schulte said. “If you want to save lives, you have to have working smoke detectors and-or carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home.”
The house was a total loss, and it’ll take several weeks before the fire’s cause is pinpointed, Kroll said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.