St. Joseph County police, along with the Clay Fire and Indiana state fire marshals, are investigating a Granger house fire that killed a man Tuesday.
Clay Fire Marshall Ron Melser says the fire started around 1 a.m. in the basement of the family’s two-story home on Lexington Circle off Adams Road. 41-year-old Jennifer Getz and their three children safely escaped and called 911 from a neighbor’s house. Firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke coming out the front door. They quickly extinguished the fire, which Melser said caused only smoke damage to the main and second floors.
Firefighters pulled Stephen Getz, also 41, out of the home. Melser said he was still alive at the scene but police say he died later at Memorial Hospital. Citing their ongoing investigation, sheriff department spokeswoman Christine O’Connor declined to release the children’s ages or any information on how Getz remained in the home while his wife and children got out.
Melser said two of the family’s five cats also died in the fire.
Getz had owned Mind, Body and Spirit Center in Granger, where he offered massage and acupuncture and taught martial arts. The business recently closed.
