Officials ID homeowner who died in Alpine Township fire

ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Deputies have released the name of the man who died in a house fire in Alpine Township.

The Kent County Sheriff's Office identified him as 91-year-old John Frueh Sr., the homeowner and the only occupant of the home.

The call came in around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday from a passerby, who reported a fire at a home on 4 Mile Road NW between Fruit Ridge Avenue NW and Hendershot Avenue NW.

When crews arrived, they found “flames through the roof,” Alpine Township Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Kelly told News 8 later that morning.

“With the way the fire was going through the windows, it’s unsurvivable at that point in time,” he said.

The sheriff's office said the cause of death was linked to the fire. A preliminary autopsy didn't find anything suspicious.

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