A 79-year-old man is dead following a house fire in Niles Township on Tuesday. The Niles Township Fire Department says it responded to the scene in the 3100 block of South Third Street around 1:15 p.m. on a report of a structure fire. The smoke was first spotted coming from the eves of the home by a Berrien County Road Department employee working in the area. He knocked on the door with no answer several times while the fire department was responding, but was not able to enter. Firefighters arrived and entered the home to find the homeowner deceased in the living room. The fire was put out and the Michigan State Police Fire Investigation Unit was called in to investigate. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
