A Fallowfield man died Monday morning after a blaze at his Smith Street home.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at 8:34 a.m. — just two minutes after the alarm — to find the wood-framed house already engulfed in flames, said Chris Ceccarelli, a Fallowfield fire department firefighter. Crews discovered George S. Milliken on the first floor of the residence at about 8:50 a.m.
Milliken was taken to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m., according to Coroner Tim Warco.
The fire is believed to have started in the basement, Ceccarelli said. A state police fire marshal has been called to investigate the exact cause of the blaze.
Milliken was the only person inside the home at the time of the fire. While the coroner’s office has scheduled an autopsy to determine the manner of death, the official cause remains pending the results of the investigation.
