BATTLE CREEK (WKZO-AM) — The Battle Creek Fire Marshal’s Office has confirmed the victim in a Monday residential fire on East Michigan Avenue was 44-year-old Eric Edward Phillips of Battle Creek.
However, that is about all they’re confirming.
They say the cause of death and the cause of the fire await further testing and investigation. It required an autopsy to confirm the man’s identity because of the condition of the body after the fire.
Fire crews were dispatched to the three-story home Monday evening. They found flames on both the first and second floors. His body was found in living room on the first floor, where they believe the fire began.
They say Phillips was the co-owner of the structure, and was working on the home at the time but was not living there.
