One person dead following Cottrellville Twp. garage fire

One person is dead following a garage fire in Cottrellville Township Tuesday night. 

Firefighters responded to a report of a garage fire with a victim trapped inside in the 3100 block of Plank Road shortly after 5:30 p.m., Marine City Fire Chief Joe Slankster said. 

Upon arrival, firefighters found a detached garage on fire. The fire was brought under control in about an hour. 

Slankster said firefighters found a dead man in his late 50s inside the garage following the fire. 

The garage, a shed next to the garage and one vehicle inside the garage was a total loss. A vehicle parked beside the garage was also damaged, Slankster said. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Marine City Fire Department and the St. Clair County Sheriff Department. Slankster said the sheriff department investigates all fires in the fire department's jurisdiction because the fire department does not have a fire investigator on staff.

Algonac, Clay Township and St. Clair fire departments, as well as the St. Clair County Sheriff Department, Marine City Police Department and Tri-Hospital EMS also assisted at the scene. The Ira Township Fire Department was on standby for additional fire coverage. 

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or at lfitzgeral@gannett.com.