Man Dies In Hotel Fire

One person was killed in a motel fire Thursday morning.

It happened about 12:20 a.m. at the Ruth Motel, near Jefferson and Shook roads in Harrison Township.  Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel tells WWJ that the victim, a man in his 50s, knew the risk he was taking by smoking cigarettes while using an oxygen machine.

"Apparently he'd been warned about (smoking with oxygen nearby) in the past by people from the facility as well as from the fire department officials that have run into him in the past," Hackel said.

Lynn Cassidy, who lives across the street from the Ruth Motel, has a friend who stays at the Ruth Motel.  "When he comes back this afternoon he's not going to have very much fun.  He works at the party store, he's a really nice guy," she told WWJ's Ron Dewey.

The victim had lived there about 15 years.  Two units at the motel were ruined.  Police are now trying to contact the victim's family.

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