Man found dead in Austin, Minn., garage fire

Authorities are investigating a man's death in connection with a garage fire in Austin, Minn., on Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called about 8:50 a.m. to a detached garage on the east side of town. People who were inside the house had pulled the man out, Fire Chief Jim McCoy said.

Medical responders pronounced the man dead at the scene. An autopsy was planned for Friday.

McCoy said firefighters arriving at the scene found a smoldering couch and chair in an area of the garage that looked like it was being used for storage. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal's office, he said. Damage to the two-car garage in the 1900 block of Oakland Av. E. was estimated at $11,000.

"It wasn't a real big fire, it was more of a smoldering fire," McCoy said. "Those types of materials tend to produce a lot of smoke just based on what they are."

McCoy said the man who died was an Austin resident, though he wasn't sure of the man's address. Authorities declined to release his name pending notification of his family.

Pam Louwagie