Man dies, 2 escape from Van Buren Township mobile home blaze

Christopher Clement, 51, of 50 Ponderosa Trail in Van Buren Township, died during a fire in his mobile home on Sunday morning.
His daughter and a caregiver who lived with him received minor injuries and were taken to a hospital but have been released.
Van Buren Township Fire Chief Dave McInally said the male caregiver tried to get him out of the home, but he collapsed and the caregiver couldn’t get him up. Chief McInally said it appeared that he tried to go farther by himself.
Chief McInally said Clement had been released from a medical facility the day before and was not completely ambulatory.
The fire fighting was impeded somewhat by exploding ammunition that had been stored in a back bedroom, Chief McInally said. The explosions finally stopped, possibly because there was no more left to explode, he said.
Fire Marshal/Deputy Fire Chief Andy Lenaghan is investigating the cause of the blaze, along with the Michigan State Police. Chief McInally said the medical examiner is performing an autopsy.
He said there were no working fire alarms in the home.
The Van Buren Township Fire Department was assisted by fire departments from Romulus, Canton, and Belleville.
Tyler Ladouceur who lives nearby said he heard the ammunition exploding and it sounded like a shootout. He said he looked out the window and saw the flames and knew it was a fire. He said he had been friends with Clement’s two late sons and knew the family well.